The Truth Will Out
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Gwen Cooper believes she has a normal job with a normal fiance. What happens when her fiance is spotted with the mysterious Torchwood team? What happens when he's spotted with another woman?


**Disclaimer:** Torchwood does not belong to me! :(

**A/N:** Just to clarify if you read my last story, this is not a sequel. Thought it might confuse people because of the way I ended that one and will start this one.

Gwen Cooper woke up one morning and grinned as she stretched out her left hand in front of her. Three months ago, her boyfriend had proposed to her and every morning since, she couldn't help but stare at the beautiful ring. It was white gold with four small diamonds embedded into it and one larger diamond in the centre. He'd wanted to get her something bigger but Gwen thought this ring was perfect. She hated rings with huge rocks sticking out as she thought they looked tacky and awful.

As Gwen looked at her ring, she thought of the night she met her fiancé, Owen Harper.

_Three years ago..._

_Gwen sat at a bar, sipping cocktails. She'd been out with a few friends and when they all left to go home, Gwen said she wanted to stay out a little longer. She didn't feel like going home, once again, to an empty flat. It had been a couple of months since she split with her boyfriend but her flat had felt huge and lonely ever since._

_Her friends had offered to stay with her but she told them to go home and that she'd be fine. She knew they were worried she'd do something stupid and to be honest, maybe she wanted to. She'd promised to go home after a couple more drinks just to please them._

_She felt someone watching her and when she looked up, she saw a man sitting across the way with the most beautiful brown eyes staring at her. A small smirk crept across his face and she smiled seductively back before turning back to her drink. Moments later, she heard someone walk over to her and lean against the bar beside her. She looked up and saw the man who'd been staring at her._

"_Can I buy you a drink?" He asked in a cockney accent._

_She tilted her head to the side and looked him over. Oh she knew his type well._

"_Let me guess. You buy me a drink or two, you charm me with your witty jokes and flattering comments, then it's back to my place for a quick shag. While I'm sleeping, you'll sneak away and ten quid says I never see you again. Did I get it right?" She asked._

"_Well, I...erm..." He mumbled. Gwen laughed and shook her head at him. "Am I wasting my time? I'm sorry for bothering you."_

_She grabbed his arm as he went to walk away._

"_Where do you think you're going? Mine's a White Russian." She said._

_He grinned as he ordered their drinks._

"_I'm Owen, by the way. Owen Harper." He told her and held out his hand._

"_Gwen Cooper." She replied and shook his hand._

"_Nice to meet you Gwen Cooper." He said. "So what's a gorgeous girl like yourself doing out on her own?"_

"_I was out with a couple of mates but they've gone home and I just wanted to stay out a little longer." She answered._

"_Lucky for me, eh?" He grinned. "So what do you do?"_

"_I'm a police officer." She told him._

"_Oh right." He said and she could instantly sense him start to back off._

"_Don't worry, I'm off duty." She laughed. "So what do you do then, Mr Harper?"_

"_I'm a doctor, actually. I work at Tor – the General hospital here." He said quickly. Gwen laughed and put his mistake down to too much alcohol. "You know, you have a beautiful smile with the most amazing eyes to match."_

"_So the charming starts." Gwen smirked._

"_I'm telling the truth." He told her. "You're a very beautiful woman, Gwen Cooper."_

"_Thanks." She smiled shyly. A sort of gentleness took over his smile and a warmth spread through her heart. She started to feel nervous as if she was back in school and talking to the boy she'd had a huge crush on. Looking away quickly, she grabbed her drink and downed it. When she put her glass down, she looked back at him and smiled. "How about another drink?"_

"_It would be my pleasure." He smirked._

_After another round of drinks and shameless flirting, they put down their empty glasses and stood up to face each other. Owen smirked as Gwen stepped up to stand directly in front of him, their chests almost touching, and looked at him seductively._

"_So, back to my place wasn't it?" She breathed._

"_Actually...let's go back to mine." He replied._

_Gwen couldn't remember the taxi ride to Owen's flat, due to the amount of alcohol she'd consumed that night. However, she remembered clearly the way his lips had been so soft and gentle against hers and the way her skin had burned at his touch._

_When she woke up the next morning, she clutched her head as she sat up and squinted around the room. A smile spread across her face as memories of the previous night began to flood back. She looked down at the bed beside her where she expected to see Owen. She stared down in surprise when she found it empty. After a few moments, she sighed and held her face in her hands._

"_Oh you have been so stupid Gwen." She mumbled to herself._

_She looked around the room again and shook her head. It was almost empty, she should have known but she was so willing to believe that this one man was actually different. She'd been so gullible and now she had no idea where she was and she doubted whether he'd even given her his real name._

_Just as she was about to haul herself out of the bed, the door opened and Owen stood in the doorway. Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she stared silently at him._

"_You thought I'd tricked you." Owen laughed as he stepped into the room._

_Gwen blushed and looked away in embarrassment._

"_Well...I woke up and...you were...I thought..." She mumbled._

"_Yeah, sorry about that. I had to use the bathroom." He told her and sat down on the bed. "I was hoping to get back before you woke up to prevent you from thinking exactly what you did."_

_Silence fell between them and Gwen clutched the sheets tightly around herself._

"_So...this is your flat?" She asked. Owen nodded as he looked around his room. "And...you're really Owen Harper?"_

"_I can show you my passport if you like." He chuckled._

"_No, no that's fine." Gwen laughed and regretted it immediately. She groaned and clutched her head. "Do you...have any aspirin or something? My head is pounding."_

"_Sure." He replied. He reached into the drawer beside his bed and pulled out a pack of pills. Gwen held out her hand for him to pop some into and frowned as she looked at the two unfamiliar pills that landed in her palm. "Take these, they're amazing for hangovers from hell."_

"_What are they? Are they safe to take?" She asked._

"_I'm a doctor. Would I give you anything that wasn't safe? Trust me, they're fine." He told her._

_She stared at him for a few moments before swallowing the pills._

"_How much did I have to drink anyway?" She frowned as she tried to remember._

"_Well, you had two with me. You'd had a few before that, I was sort of...watching you. God knows how many you had with your mates." He answered. "You didn't seem drunk when I went over to you though."_

_Gwen sighed as she sat back against the headboard and leant her head on it, waiting for the pills to kick in. They quickly started to take effect and she sighed in relief._

"_You were right." She smiled. "These are good." Lifting her head off the headboard, she smiled shyly at him. "So...what happens now?"_

"_Well...would it be ok if I called you some time?" He asked. "Maybe we could...go out for dinner one day."_

"_Yeah, I'd like that." She nodded._

"_Great. Well, erm..." He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and tore the paper in half. "This is my number, don't be afraid to call me at any time."_

_Gwen smiled as she took the pen and paper from him and wrote down her own number._

"_And here's mine. I hope to hear from you very soon." She replied._

"_Oh I promise you will." He smiled._

"_Good." She smiled back. "Erm...can I...get dressed now?"_

"_Do you have to?" He pouted. She giggled and nodded as she climbed out of bed. She could feel his eyes burning into her as she dressed and she couldn't help but feel slightly smug. "I could drive you to work, if you like."_

"_It's ok, I'm on late night shifts this week." She told him. "Hopefully I'll be able to get enough coffee in me so by the time I go in, my boss won't suspect a thing."_

"_Alright, have breakfast with me and I'll drive you home instead." He said._

"_Won't you be late for work?" She asked._

"_I'll be fine." He shrugged._

"_Alright then." She smiled._

After that morning, Owen had called her a few days later and asked her out for dinner. Since then, the two went out regularly on dates and soon fell in love. A year and half into their relationship, they'd bought a new flat and moved in together which led them to where they were now.

Gwen continued to smile at the ring on her finger and let out a sigh of contentment.

A warm chest suddenly pressed itself against her back and a hand ran down her arm to thread it's fingers with hers. Soft lips trailed kisses over her neck and shoulder and she pressed herself back into the warm body behind her, closing her eyes.

"You looking at that again?" Owen asked.

"You know I am." She smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." He breathed as he ran his nose along her jaw.

Gwen rolled over to face him and caught his lips in a gentle kiss. His phone started to ring and he sighed as he pulled away to answer it. She leant over him and turned it off.

"You promised." She said as she pulled back to look at him.

"I know but...it could be an emergency." He protested.

"You promised me..." Gwen whispered as she pressed herself against his chest. "One day off..." She ran her hand up his spine and into his hair where she locked her fingers. His eyes slid shut as she nipped at his neck and shoulders. "It's our anniversary."

She rolled onto her back and pulled him with her, her eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Yeah, you're right. I promised." He nodded quickly and kissed her hungrily.

A while later, Owen rolled away from Gwen and the two tried to catch their breath. Once Gwen had built up enough strength, she leant up on her side to smile down at him.

"I love you." She smiled.

"Love you too." He replied and pulled her into a hug. He glanced at his phone and she glared at him. "Maybe I should just call in and make sure they don't need me."

Gwen made a disgusted sound at the back of her throat and got out of bed.

"You just can't forget about it for one day can you?" She laughed bitterly.

As she stormed into the bathroom, she heard him scramble out of bed and follow her.

"Babe, I'm sorry." He called. She slammed the bathroom door behind her and leant back against it. Why was it, whenever they had any time together, Owen would either get called into work or he couldn't stop thinking about it? He'd cancelled so many plans they'd had because he was busy at work and some nights he didn't come home until late. Her stomach lurched suddenly and she quickly ran over to the toilet, making it just in time. Owen knocked on the door and called through to her. "Come on, let me in."

"The door's not locked." She spat and turned to throw up.

"Gwen, I'm really -" He said as he opened the door. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine." She mumbled as she sat on the floor and leant against the side of the bath.

"Are you sure? You've been sick almost every morning this past month." He said.

He knelt down beside her and felt her forehead with his hand. She froze as she began to think back. She counted the days back twice in her head.

"I have, haven't I." She frowned.

"Look, I'm sorry babe. I really am. I'll forget about work today, I promise. Come on, it's our special day, let's not fight." He pleaded. "I love you."

"Owen..." She smiled before noticing he had his phone clutched in his hand. She shoved him away and stood up, steadying herself as the room spun around her. "You bastard. Just go to work, that's where you obviously want to be. Go on. Go."

"Gwen, please." He begged. "Don't ruin our anniversary."

"Me? Don't you dare blame this on me." She shouted. "You're the only one who can't seem to separate his work life from his home life. So just...go." When he didn't move, Gwen shoved him out the door and pointed. "I said go."

She slammed the door in his face and broke down in tears. A few moments passed before she heard him shuffle back into their bedroom and then, a few minutes after that, he left the flat. Gwen wiped away her tears and forced herself to stop crying. She had more important things to be worrying about.

Rummaging around in the cupboard above the sink, her fingers closed around the object she was seeking and she pulled it out.

Three minutes later, Gwen stared down in surprise at the object in her hand. She shook her head in disbelief and ran into the bedroom. Wrenching the wardrobe door open, she turned sideways and looked at herself in the full length mirror. Her eyes grew wider as she looked at the small bump that was her stomach. She ran her hands over her stomach and let out the breath she'd been holding.

Pregnant. No, she couldn't be. The test had to be wrong. She grabbed her phone from the side and dialled the number of her doctor.

"Hello, Cardiff Bay Surgery. How can I help you?" The receptionist answered.

"My name's Gwen Cooper. I'd like to make an appointment for erm...well as soon as possible really." Gwen replied.

"We've had a cancellation for eleven o'clock. Is that a convenient time?" The receptionist asked.

"Yes, that's wonderful. Thanks." She said and put the phone down.

She turned back to look at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath.

When she left the doctors surgery, she left in a trance like state as she processed what the doctor had told her. She was two months pregnant. Two months. How the hell could she not have noticed? How could Owen not have noticed? He was meant to be a doctor, how could he not have picked up on this?

Once she'd gotten over the shock, a smile crept across her face as she placed her hand over her stomach. People gave her odd looks as she started to giggle but she didn't care. Her thoughts were only of her and Owen's unborn child growing inside of her.

She returned to the flat and lay down on the sofa, rolling her top up so she could see her bump. Placing one hand over it, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Owen.

"Babe, I'm really sorry about this morning." Owen said quickly when he answered. "I love you so much and I swear I'm going to make this up to you."

"Owen, it's ok." She told him. "Forget about what happened. I just called to make sure you'll be at the restaurant later."

"I promise you, I'll be there. I will make things right with you." He promised.

"You already have." Gwen said quietly as she smiled down at her stomach. "You really promise you'll be there?"

"I swear." He replied sincerely.

"Good because I erm...I have an announcement. A erm...little surprise for you." She said.

"Oh really? Is it a good surprise?" He asked.

"I think it's bloody amazing." She smiled. "I'll see you later, yeah? I love you, darling."

"Love you too sweetheart." He replied.

Gwen ended the call and ran her hand across her stomach.

"I guess we should start getting ready for dinner with your daddy." She whispered.

As the time drew nearer for Gwen to leave for the restaurant, she started to get nervous. She wasn't sure how he would take the news. They hadn't exactly planned to have a baby, they'd spoken about it once or twice but they never made a final decision. She had a feeling he'd be just as excited as she was though.

Gwen grabbed Owen's anniversary present and placed it in her bag. They'd agreed to swap presents over dinner. She found her car keys and took a deep breath. She was starting to feel nauseous again and she didn't know whether it was nerves or the baby.

"Ok, I'm going to need your help here. If that's you, can you at least wait until tomorrow?" She asked her stomach.

The dress she'd chosen to wear hugged her figure and made her tiny bump visible. She smiled before leaving the flat.

When she entered the restaurant, a waiter bustled over to her and smiled.

"Can I help you Madame?" He asked.

"Yes, my fiancé made a reservation under the name Owen Harper. Is he here yet?" Gwen enquired.

He checked the book and shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry Mr Harper hasn't arrived yet. Would you like me to show you to your table?" He replied.

"Oh, erm...please." She nodded.

He led her over to their table and she sat facing the door so she could see when Owen arrived.

"Would you like a drink while you wait?" He asked.

"Could I just have a glass of water please?" She smiled as she ran her hand over her stomach.

The waiter smiled and nodded.

Minutes ticked by and there was no sign of Owen. Gwen checked her phone again and again for messages but he hadn't sent any. She started to get irritated and drummed her fingers on the table. After an hour, she was furious. She ignored the sympathetic stares of the other customers and the staff and stared at the door.

Finally, after waiting another hour, she got up and left.

At home, she refused to let her tears fall and started to tidy the flat to keep herself busy.

She was clearing the table when the door opened and Owen stepped cautiously into the room. She ignored him as she started to stack a pile of magazines.

"You look beautiful." He said. Gwen still ignored him as she took the magazines over to the computer desk and slipped them inside the drawer. "Gwen, I'm so sorry I missed dinner. I should have called but there was this emergency and I couldn't. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Anyway, you said you had an announcement?"

She looked at him for the first time, though she looked more through him than at him.

"I did, didn't I." She said. "But you obviously felt it wasn't that important so it doesn't matter. Forget about it." She grabbed a pile of sheets she'd pulled out a few minutes earlier and placed them on the sofa. "Don't forget my parents are coming to dinner tomorrow night. You promised them you'd be there and you promised to come home early especially. Make sure you're there." She took Owen's present out of her bag and walked over to him. As he took it from her, he noticed the tears glistening in her eyes and it hurt him to see how much he'd upset her. "Happy anniversary. Goodnight Owen."

She walked off into the bedroom and closed the door behind her without another word. He looked at the sheets piled on the sofa and guessed that was where he was sleeping for the night. He moved the sheets aside to sit down and opened the gift Gwen had given him and was immediately choking back his own tears.

Inside the box was the pocket watch his granddad had given him as a boy before he'd died. It meant a lot to Owen as it was the only reminder of the family member he loved more than anyone. The glass had broken years ago and it hadn't worked for a long time before that. But here it was, new glass, hands ticking round the little face and it had been cleaned and shined.

Gwen knew how much this would have meant to him and even after all the anniversaries and birthdays and everything else he'd had to cancel on, she still did this for him. He couldn't understand why she still loved him after everything he'd put her through but he was glad she did. She meant everything to him and he didn't know what he'd do if he lost her. He realised then that she was slipping through his fingers already and it was all his fault.

Gwen changed into a comfy pair of slacks and an old t-shirt and went to climb into bed. She looked at the bedroom door and wondered whether she should go back out and talk to him. He did work in a hospital after all and he couldn't abandon his patients in an emergency. But that didn't mean he couldn't switch off from it for just one day. She didn't think about bar fights or public disturbances when she left work. She always tried to keep her work life and home life separate.

Her feet carried her towards the door and she slowly and quietly opened it. The light had been turned off and she couldn't hear him moving around so she opened the door fully and leant against the door frame. He was lying on the sofa with his back to her and she spotted the pocket watch clutched in his hand. She watched him sleeping with a small, sad smile and sighed. Owen suddenly rolled over and looked straight at her. He sat up slowly but before he could say anything, she disappeared back into the bedroom and closed the door.

The next morning, Gwen climbed out of bed and went out into the living room. Owen had gone and had left her present on the table with a note on the top. She went over and picked up the note.

"_Gwen,  
>I'm so sorry. I promise you, I'll be there tonight and every night I say I will.<br>Love you always  
>Owen xxx."<em>

Short and sweet, that was Owen. He never knew what to say but it didn't matter to Gwen. She knew what he was trying to say and she always forgave him.

She looked down at her stomach and sighed.

"What do you say? Do I trust that he will be there tonight? Or do I call my parents and cancel now?" She asked. After a few moments, she nodded and smiled. "You're right, I should give him a chance."

She picked up the gift and opened it. She smiled as she looked down at a heart shaped locket on a purple velvet cushion. She'd seen it in a shop window while she was out doing her rounds and had told Owen about it when she got home. It was very expensive and she knew she was never going to be able to afford it. How Owen had managed to pay for it, she didn't know.

She went back into the bedroom and placed it beside her jewellery box, ready to wear to dinner that night. After running her fingers over it, she quickly got ready for work.

"Morning." Andy smiled as she entered the station.

"Hey, Andy." Gwen replied.

"You alright?" He frowned.

"Erm...I don't know. Maybe. Owen and I...we sort of...had a fight last night – well, it wasn't exactly a fight, it was...oh, it's complicated." She sighed. "Anyway, is Temple in the office?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" He frowned.

"I need to speak to him." She answered. "I...well...I need to tell him I can't go on call outs and...I need to sort out...maternity leave."

Andy's eyes widened as he stared at her in shock.

"You're pregnant?" He gasped as he pointed at her stomach.

"Two months." Gwen grinned.

"Why didn't you say something before?" He asked.

"I've not long found out myself." She laughed.

"Well, congratulations." He smiled. "Good luck with Temple."

"God, I know." Gwen sighed. "Let's just hope he's in one of his good moods." Gwen made her way to the office and walked up to Temple's desk. "Sir, can I have a word?"

"Of course, PC Cooper." He nodded and gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

Gwen swallowed nervously as she sat down and clasped her hands in her lap.

"Sir, I'm afraid I won't be able to go on any call outs." She said.

"And why not?" He asked, leaning forward intimidatingly.

"I'm pregnant, sir, and I'd rather not risk anything happening. I'd be more than happy to do admin or help out in another department." She suggested.

"I see." He said. "So I guess you'll be wanting to take maternity leave soon too."

"Yes...sir." Gwen nodded.

She waited anxiously as he thought about it.

"Ok then." He nodded. "I'm sure Yvonne has plenty of work for you to help out with and you may take maternity leave when you need to."

"Yes sir, I'll get to work." She nodded and went to leave.

"PC Cooper." He called. She turned back to him and he smiled. Gwen was shocked as he hardly ever smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you sir." She smiled.

When she left, Andy was stood outside waiting for her.

"How did he take it?" Andy asked.

"Pretty well actually." She smiled.

"Wow." Andy laughed. As the two of them went to go their separate ways, Andy paused as he remembered something. "Oh yeah, why didn't you tell me your Owen worked for Torchwood?"

"What?" Gwen frowned. "Owen doesn't work for Torchwood. He's a doctor at the General hospital, you know that."

"Gwen, you can't lie to me. I saw him getting out that black SUV they drive around in." Andy argued.

"No, you must have been mistaken. Owen's worked at the hospital for years, since before I met him." She told him.

"Ask Diane. It was Owen, I swear." He insisted.

"It couldn't have been. I've never heard of this...Torchwood. Owen wouldn't lie to me for all these years." She said. Andy gave her a look and walked away. "Hey, he wouldn't. Ok, he's broken a few promises here and there but he'd never lie to me."

Andy continued walking and she growled in frustration.

A few hours later, Gwen was sitting at a desk in the control room running searches on suspects Yvonne had asked her to look for. Andy walked in and leant on the desk beside her. She glared up at him and looked back at the computer screen.

"Look." He sighed. "I'm sorry I suggested your boyfriend -"

"Fiancé." She corrected.

"Ok, I'm sorry I suggested your fiancé was a liar." He said. "It's just...this bloke me and Diane saw, he looked an awful lot like your Owen."

"Yeah well, you haven't seen him for ages so you must have got him confused with someone else." She replied.

"He picked you up from work last week." He pointed out.

"You didn't see him properly though, did you? He didn't get out of the car." Gwen said. "Owen is a doctor at the Cardiff General hospital and he has been for a long time."

"Let's just...forget about this, ok?" Andy said.

"Yes." She nodded. "So did you just come here to apologise or is there something else?"

"Temple's sending us out." He answered.

"I told him I couldn't do call outs." Gwen frowned.

"We're just going to take a statement. A house got burgled last night and he wants us to go and take the old woman's statement." Andy explained.

"Alright." She sighed. Gwen grabbed her police jacket and slipped it on then put her hi-visibility jacket over the top. She looked away in embarrassment as Andy raised an eyebrow. "It's cold out there."

"It's not that cold." He laughed. "Here, want to borrow my jacket too?"

"Oi, don't make fun of a pregnant woman." She replied defensively.

Andy glanced down at her stomach and raised an eyebrow.

"Boy, that's going to take some getting used to." He said quietly.

"Tell me about it." She grinned. "Come on, let's go get this statement. You can drive."

As the two left the old woman's house with a list of all her stolen possessions, Gwen and Andy spotted a black SUV parked further down the road.

"There they are then. Torchwood." Andy muttered, a tone of resentment saturated in his voice. "Everyone down at the station hates them. They're all nob heads who swan into crime scenes and take over. Bloody act like they own the place. What are they doing here? Coming to take over a simple burglary case too?"

Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes at him before turning to look back at the SUV. She froze as she saw two figures walk around the corner and head for the vehicle. One was a sharply dressed man in a suit and the other had dark hair and a very familiar leather jacket. She turned and shoved Andy towards the police car.

"Get in." She hissed. "Quick."

"Why? What's going on?" He demanded.

"Just get in the car." She answered and ran over to the passengers side. Once she'd climbed in, she leant forward to watch the two men get inside the vehicle. "I don't...I don't believe it. It can't be Owen. No way."

"I told you." Andy said. "I said it was him. Why are we hiding out in the car? Why don't you go and talk to him?"

"No, I can't do that. He wouldn't lie to me. Why – what's he doing here? There has to be a reasonable explanation for this." She said.

"Yeah. He works for Torchwood." Andy nodded.

"No. He works at the hospital. He said." Gwen insisted. "Maybe...I don't know...maybe Torchwood were called out on a case where one of the witnesses had been injured and they needed a doctor. They phoned the hospital and the hospital sent Owen. Yeah, that must be it."

Andy was just about to ask 'if the witness was injured, why didn't they phone for an ambulance?' but when he looked at Gwen and saw the desperate look in her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Yeah...must be." He nodded.

"Let's get back to the station." Gwen said quickly.

In order to drive back to the station, they had to pass the parked SUV. Gwen kept her head turned towards Andy until they'd driven past and then watched it disappear in the mirror. She was unaware that the man in the suit had spotted her at the same time as she had them and had been watching her until the police car was no longer visible.

Throughout the day, Gwen kept telling herself the story she had in the car and by the time she was leaving, she'd managed to convince herself it was true. Owen would never lie to her about something as big as this for three years.

She had some last minute shopping to do before she went home to start preparing dinner for her parents. When she was finished, she drove back to the flat and when she arrived, she found the door unlocked. Had she not locked it when she left this morning? She was sure she had but maybe she'd just thought she had.

As she entered the flat, she stopped in her tracks and her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as her eyes fell on Owen, fresh out of the shower.

"You're home." She said after she recovered from her shock. "Early."

"I promised." He replied as he followed her into the kitchen.

"You've made promises in the past." She pointed out.

"I know and I know I've always broken them but I swear to you, that's not going to happen any more. Believe me." He said sincerely. He walked over to her and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "It killed me last night when I realised how much I'd hurt you. I don't want to do that."

"You didn't hurt me, you just...I was just so upset that you'd let me down once again and on our anniversary too. I thought after we'd got engaged things would be different but...it hasn't changed. I see Andy more often than I see you." She explained.

"I know and it will change. I will make more effort to come home from work earlier and take days off." He promised. "I love you Gwen, I don't want to lose you over some stupid job. You mean the world to me and more."

"That means a lot to me and so do you." She smiled. "I love you too."

They shared a tender kiss and Gwen gasped as Owen's hand ran across her stomach. She pulled back and smiled, waiting for him to notice.

"What?" He laughed nervously.

Gwen sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing." She said and started to head towards the bathroom. "Oh, erm...have you heard of...oh, it doesn't matter. Stick the meat in the oven, will you? I'm just going for a shower."

A part of her wanted to ask him about Torchwood but her brain told her not to. Anyway, if it was important, Owen would've told her but since he hadn't said anything, it obviously wasn't that important.

As Gwen was showering, the door opened and Owen walked into the bathroom.

"Babe, should we use those plates your mum bought us?" He asked.

"Yeah, I suppose we should. It'll only upset her if we don't." Gwen answered.

"Right. I'd better go and give them a quick wash. They're probably covered in dust." His eyes narrowed as they travelled over her and she was sure he'd notice now. "There's...something different..."

"Really?" She asked innocently and looked down at herself. "Like what?"

"I don't know...it's probably just me." He shrugged and left the room.

Gwen gritted her teeth and sighed in frustration.

Once she'd showered, she dressed and stood in front of the mirror once again. The locket Owen had bought her, hung perfectly around her neck. She'd chosen a t-shirt that hugged her figure and skinny jeans which made her bump more pronounced. She ran a hand over her stomach and smiled like she had done so many times that day.

Footsteps padded into the room behind her and she turned to look at Owen in his smartest shirt and jeans. She glanced at herself in the mirror before looking back at him.

"These jeans, they don't make me look fat do they?" She asked.

"This is one of those questions I'm not meant to answer isn't it." He said. "Or at least tread carefully when I answer."

"No, just answer honestly. I won't get mad, I promise. Do you think I've put on weight?" She enquired and placed her hands on her stomach, drawing his attention to it.

"Well...I didn't want to say anything..." He replied hesitantly. "But I have noticed..."

Gwen's jaw dropped as she glared at him.

"I have _not_ put any weight on." She said defensively. Well...not that kind of weight anyway. "Are you saying I do look fat?"

"No." He answered quickly. "No, of course you don't look fat." Gwen rolled her eyes and turned back to look at herself in the mirror. "You look gorgeous to me, as always."

He walked over to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. He placed kisses on her neck but she ignored him as she stared down at her stomach. Why couldn't he see what was happening right under his nose? Ok, so she hadn't seen it either but she had noticed tiny things like some of her clothes were starting to get a bit snug around the waist. Once she'd found out she was pregnant, she realised how stupid she'd been for not seeing the obvious. What about when she reached nine months? Would he still not notice?

She was vaguely aware that he was saying something and she had to shake herself out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, I was miles away. What was that?" She asked.

"I was saying thank you for my gift. You have no idea how much it means to me. I feel like I need to get you something more. What you did was just so amazing and all I got you was a necklace." He told her.

"Owen, I love my locket, it's beautiful." She said sincerely as she turned to face him. "And you have given me something more precious than you think you have." She took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. "Owen, I'm -" The doorbell rang and she sighed. "Going to answer the door."

Before she went, she grabbed a cardigan and slipped it on to hide her bump. She knew her mother had a keen eye and she'd spot it straight away. Gwen didn't want anyone else finding out before she told Owen, the father of her unborn child.

Her parents greeted her with huge smiles and hugs when she opened the door.

"Oh sweetheart, it's been too long." Mary smiled.

"It has." Gwen nodded. "How are you both?"

"We're fine. Your father's hip has been playing up again but he won't have it looked at." Mary told her, shooting her husband a disapproving look.

"I told you, it's fine." Geraint insisted. "Anyway, how's our little duckling?"

"I'm fine, dad." She smiled, rolling her eyes at his nickname for her.

"And where's our future son-in-law?" Mary asked. She smiled as Owen came out of the bedroom. "Oh, there he is, handsome as ever."

"And you're looking beautiful as always, Mrs Cooper." Owen smiled as he hugged her. "I swear you get younger every time I see you."

"Oh stop it you." Mary giggled.

"Yeah, you're right. Not in front of our other halves." He winked. He turned to Gwen's dad as Mary blushed like a schoolgirl and held his hand out to him. "Mr Cooper, it's good to see you again."

"And you." Geraint smiled as he shook his hand.

"Honey, why don't you take my parents into the living room while I check on dinner." Gwen suggested.

"Sure." Owen nodded and held his arm out to Mary. "Mrs Cooper – or may I call you Mary?"

Gwen laughed as she watched Owen take her mother into the living room and she rolled her eyes at her dad. Geraint chuckled as he followed them in.

As the four sat down to dinner, Owen started to pour them all a glass of wine. Gwen stopped him when he went to fill her glass.

"Not for me sweetheart. Couldn't get me some orange juice instead could you?" She asked.

Mary watched her daughter suspiciously as Owen disappeared into the kitchen to fetch the juice. Gwen averted her eyes and hoped she wouldn't pick up on the blush that was creeping across her face.

"One orange juice for my beautiful fiancée." Owen said as he entered the room and poured Gwen her juice.

"No wine Gwen?" Her mother asked. "Are you ok?"

Owen looked at Gwen in concern as she stared wide-eyed at the three of them.

"You're not feeling sick again are you?" He asked and felt her forehead. "You do feel warm. Maybe you should go and take a nap."

"No, I'm fine." She told them. "I just...don't fancy any wine tonight."

"Are you sure? You're looking a bit flushed and...wow, you're starting to burn up." Owen told her. "Here, take your cardigan off."

"I'm fine." She snapped and swatted him away as he went to help her take her cardigan off. "Let's just eat." Moments later, Owen's phone began to ring and Gwen shot him a warning look. He quickly pressed the red button and put it down. Seconds later, it rang again. "Owen, ignore it." She hissed out of the corner of her mouth as she smiled at her parents.

"I'm sorry, I really think I need to take this." Owen whispered.

"Owen, this is your evening off." She reminded him. "So we could have dinner with my parents."

"I'm sorry." He apologised as he stood up. "They wouldn't call like this if it wasn't an emergency."

"Sit down, Owen." Gwen ordered, not caring that her parents were watching in shock. "You promised me you wouldn't do this again."

"I know." He said. "I...I'm sorry." Gwen glared at him as he went into the bedroom to answer his phone then turned and looked down at her plate, stabbing at her food with her fork. He reappeared moments later with an apologetic look on his face. Gwen refused to look at him and she knew already what he was going to say. "I've got to go into work, I'm really sorry. Mr and Mrs Cooper, it's great to see you again. Gwen, I'll see you later. I love you."

"Whatever." She mumbled, rolling a potato around her plate.

Owen lingered in the doorway and sighed before leaving.

Angry tears burned in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Silence fell over the flat and she couldn't help it as a few of her tears escaped.

"Gwen?" Her mother asked quietly.

Gwen took a deep breath and quickly wiped away her tears. She looked up at her parents and took hold of each of their hands. She really couldn't care less how Owen would feel about being the last to know. He should have kept his promises.

"Mum, dad, I've got something to tell you." She said.

Owen entered the Torchwood Hub and ran over to where Toshiko Sato was sitting at her computer.

"This had better be good." He snapped. "I've just run out of dinner with my in-laws and my fiancée is not happy. If she breaks up with me because of this, I swear -"

"Owen." Tosh interrupted. "There's been an explosion at the Q section of the docks. A huge rift flare suggests it was alien technology at the centre of it. I'm getting reports of fatalities and some seriously injured. We have to get down there."

"Alright." Owen nodded. "Let's go." He looked around and noticed there was someone missing. "Where's Jack?"

"He's conducting his own investigation." Ianto Jones answered as he joined them. "We were spotted earlier today and he's gone to see if they'll be a problem."

Owen rolled his eyes and grabbed the SUV keys.

"Just retcon the bastard." Owen muttered.

Tosh and Ianto followed him out of the Hub to the SUV and the three sped off towards the docks.

When they reached the site, Owen turned on the blue lights and navigated the SUV through the crowd that had gathered around. The police had taped off the area and were doing their best to keep the crowd at bay but it looked as though they were struggling. Ambulances were parked on the side lines, their lights turning everyone blue as paramedics loaded people into the back. The Torchwood team climbed out of the SUV and made their way over to the officer in charge.

"We'll take it from here sir." Ianto said.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He asked.

"We're Torchwood." Owen answered. "Like my colleague said, we'll take it from here. This is our case now."

"Bloody Torchwood." The officer mumbled and called his officers off the case.

Owen led his co-workers over to the crater and Tosh consulted her PDA.

"It seems whatever created the blast is no longer a threat. I'm not getting any more energy readings." She announced.

"Ok, so what created it?" Owen asked.

"I'm guessing it was that." Ianto said and pointed to the centre of the crater.

Owen looked down and spotted a jet black sphere about the size of a tennis ball, wafts of smoke rising from it.

"Right, ok. Tosh, bag it and we'll take it back to the Hub. Ianto, you see what you can do about media coverages and get all the witnesses names." He ordered. "I'll go and see if I can help out with the victims."

The team split off to do their jobs.

A while later, Owen jogged back over to the crater just as Tosh was climbing out. Her foot landed on a loose piece of rock which flew out from beneath her. She tumbled to the floor with a cry of pain as her ankle twisted underneath her.

"Tosh!" Owen shouted as he leant over the side of the crater. "Tosh, are you ok?"

"Fine. Just...twisted my ankle." She winced as she tried to stand up.

Owen climbed in and lifted her out.

"Alright, there we go." He said. He clambered after her and put an arm around her waist to support her. "Let's get Ianto and get back to the Hub." As if hearing them, Ianto quickly walked over and joined them. "Ianto, how did you get on with the press coverage?"

"I told them it was some kind of gas pipe explosion. That seemed to dampen their interests." Ianto reported.

"Good." Owen nodded.

Ianto drove them back to the Hub, dropping Owen and Tosh off by the water tower before he went to park the SUV. As Owen put his arm around Tosh once again, he was unaware of two of Gwen's closest friends watching him in surprise. One of them held their mobile up and took pictures as Owen laughed at something Tosh said. The two friends turned to each other and shook their heads in disgust.

Gwen's parents had left, excited by the prospect of becoming grandparents but concerned for their daughter as she had explained everything that had happened between her and Owen. She was piling up all the plates and was about to take them into the kitchen when the doorbell rang again. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and put on a false smile as she came face to face with her two best friends.

"Hey." Gwen said.

"Gwen, can we come in?" Megan asked. "There's something we need to tell you."

"Yeah...yeah, come in." She nodded, her smile dropping when she saw the serious expressions on her friends faces. "I was just...clearing away. My mum and dad came over for dinner."

She quickly took the plates into the kitchen and her friends glanced at each other.

"Gwen...how are you and Owen lately?" Trina asked. "Any...problems?"

Gwen slowly walked back out of the kitchen and stared at the ground.

"To be honest...I don't know what's happening." She told them and broke down in tears. Megan hurried over to her and wrapped her arms around her. "I don't know...I...I don't think I've done anything wrong. I always do what I can for him, I tell him I love him, if he ever needed anything I always made sure to make time to do it for him...but he doesn't seem to care. Work calls and he's off like a shot. He doesn't want to spend time with me any more. He makes promises and then breaks them..."

"Sweetheart, you probably don't want to hear this but...I don't think it's work he's running off to." Megan told her. "Me and Trina were coming out of the Millennium Centre and we saw Owen getting out of a black SUV...with another woman."

"No." Gwen whispered. "No. Owen wouldn't do that. He might break promises but he'd never...never be unfaithful."

"Trina." Megan said and nodded. "I'm sorry Gwen."

"Me too." Trina said quietly as she held her phone out to Gwen. "We're really sorry."

Gwen took the phone in her shaking hand and gasped as she saw the picture of Owen with his arm around another woman. She shook her head as she willed the man in the picture to change. It felt like someone had punched a hole through her chest and had ripped out her heart. Her knees gave way and she sank to the floor. Megan knelt beside her and held her tight as Trina knelt the other side and put her arm around her. Gwen put her hand over her stomach and began to rub it in small circles. Megan and Trina looked at each other in surprise then back at Gwen in sympathy.

After a while, she pulled herself out of their arms and stood up.

"I need to be alone for a while." She said.

"Of course." Megan nodded.

"What are you going to do about Owen?" Trina asked.

"What do you think?" Megan replied. "He's cheating on her. She's going to dump him, aren't you Gwen?"

"What? No. I...I don't know." Gwen admitted. "I...I need time to think. Megan, could I sleep on your sofa tonight?"

"In your condition, no way. You can have my bed." Megan told her. "When you're ready, call me and I'll pick you up."

"No, it's fine. I'll drive myself. Thanks." She said.

"Ok." Megan replied quietly as she gave her a sad smile.

Megan and Trina gave her one last hug before leaving the flat.

"If I see that Owen again, I'll deck him." Trina ranted to Megan. "Fancy cheating on her in her condition."

"I don't understand it." Megan sighed. "I thought they were happy."

Gwen shut the door on her friends comments and used the door to hold herself up. When she thought she had enough strength, she made her way to the bedroom and started to grab some overnight things. She ignored all the pictures of her and Owen together, each one too painful to look at. Everything was becoming clearer to her now. The late nights, the interruptions, the broken promises and the lies, they weren't all because of work, it was because he'd been seeing some other woman. But why? Like Megan had said, she thought they were happy. He'd asked her to marry him. Why would he do that if he didn't want it? How had things gone wrong so quickly?

Her head was filled with so many questions she couldn't answer and there was an unbearable pain in her chest. She took deep shaking breaths as she stumbled around the bedroom, grabbing her things and shoving them into her bag.

Once she was done, she left the flat and threw her bag in the back of her car before getting in and driving away. Tears blurred her vision so she didn't see the black Audi pull out and follow her. Soon, her tears got too much and she was forced to pull over, again, not noticing the Audi pull over a few yards behind. A man in a long coat got out and walked towards her car, pretending he was a normal pedestrian walking by.

Gwen placed one hand over her stomach and the other ran over the necklace Owen had given her. Her head drooped as she began to sob once again.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." Gwen whispered to her bump. "Whatever happens, mummy will always take care of you and I will always love you."

Someone knocked on the passengers side window, scaring her half to death. Her hand automatically reached for the door lock as she looked up out the window. A man with brown, spiky hair and the bluest of eyes looked in at her.

"Are you ok Miss?" He called in an American accent. Gwen nodded, her eyes wide with fright as she held her breath. "Could I..?" He gestured to the door. "I'm not going to hurt you, I swear. I'm Captain Jack Harkness and I couldn't help but notice you seemed to be in some distress." Gwen had no idea what she was thinking when she leant across and opened the door for him. All she could say was that something told her she could trust this man. His eyes looked so wise and old yet he looked so young. He climbed into the seat next to her and closed the door. "Care to talk about it? I'm a great listener."

Before she could stop herself, Gwen found herself telling him everything. The man that called himself Jack just sat and listened intently.

"I know some of these calls are genuine work calls, I've heard his boss shouting at him to get to work. What hurts the most is that Owen would rather go to work than spend time with me. It's like I'm second best." She said.

"Wait...Owen? Owen Harper? He's your fiancé?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Well...I don't know." Gwen sighed. "How do you know him?"

"It doesn't matter." He answered. "How much is Owen's work affecting your relationship?"

"Honestly, it's tearing us apart. Don't get me wrong, I'm so proud of him for doing a job he obviously loves and saving so many lives." She said.

"More than you know." Jack said under his breath.

"But his boss is always – God, I'd love to get my hands on his boss." She said through gritted teeth. "It's like he doesn't care that Owen has a life outside his job. Owen has done so many things for him, long hours, extra shifts and I know he works damn hard. He's exhausted when he gets home – the nights he comes home anyway, and he gets nothing back." As she looked out of her window, she missed the sad, hurt expression on Jack's face. "But that's not the worst of it." Gwen's hand shook as she raised it to her mouth and tried to swallow back her tears. "I've just found out he's cheating on me." Fresh tears rolled down her face. "My friends...saw him...with another woman."

"You don't believe that do you?" He asked. "Owen would never do that to you, I know him. He loves you, he talks about you all the time."

"I've seen the picture." Gwen shouted. "He had his arm around some Asian woman. He was right out in the open with her as if he just didn't care."

"What if I said that this Asian woman was just a colleague of Owen's? What if I said that his boss will think about Owen's and the rest of his employees lives outside work more often and be more considerate?" He said.

"I'd give anything to believe those things." She answered quietly. "Especially now."

She looked down at her stomach and gently ran her hands over it. Jack's eyes widened and he gasped.

"You're pregnant?" He whispered. "Owen never said -"

"Owen doesn't know." She interrupted. "I wanted to tell him at our anniversary dinner but he never showed up. I was going to tell him tonight after dinner with my parents but he said he had to work and left. It's like he's not interested in what I have to say any more. But even without me saying anything, the bump is pretty obvious. He could stare right at me but he wouldn't really...notice."

"I think you need to talk to Owen, tell him how you feel." Jack told her.

"I've tried. So many times. He promises he'll change but...things always end up like they were before." She mumbled.

"Look, I really can't let you drive like this. Please, let me drive you home and you should try talking to him again. Maybe he'll listen this time. And trust me, what I said about the other woman and his boss, they're all true." Jack said.

Gwen just gave him a sad smile and shook her head.

"Like I said, I wish it was." She sighed. "But even if it was, me and Owen...we need to take a break. A little distance to just...breath and clear our heads before we try and work things out. I'm going to stay at a friends tonight. Then...I don't know, maybe we can talk tomorrow. Please don't say anything to Owen. Don't even say you've seen me. I can't deal with him tonight, though I probably wouldn't have seen him anyway."

She felt something stab at her heart as she thought of Owen and this woman together. Her hand flew to her chest and she closed her eyes as she took a deep, shaking breath.

"I promise I won't say anything." Jack replied. "But you have to believe me about Owen and this woman. I know them both and they are just colleagues, nothing else. Owen loves you, he worships you, he would never hurt you."

"So explain this to me. Owen was supposed to be at work at the hospital, that's who he said had called. So why was he seen outside the Millennium Centre on the other side Cardiff with his so called 'colleague'?" Gwen asked. Jack sighed and looked away. "Exactly. You can't. Look, you said you didn't want me to drive so you can drive me to my friends."

Jack looked at her for a few moments before nodding silently. The two swapped seats and she gave him directions to Megan's flat. He pulled up outside and turned to her.

"Look, I know the evidence doesn't exactly go in Owen's favour but please, don't jump to conclusions. Give him a chance to explain." He said.

She nodded and took her keys from him.

"Thanks for the lift." She mumbled as they climbed out of her car. Jack smiled and bowed his head before walking back in the direction they'd come. "Wait, you never said. How do you know Owen?"

Jack turned a few feet away and looked at her.

"I'm his boss." He said and walked away.

Gwen froze in shock and her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Wait, I'm sorry." She called. "I didn't mean – please don't punish Owen for what I said."

Jack just carried on walking, his coat flapping behind him until he disappeared into the darkness. Her feet were glued to the spot as she stared after him, praying she hadn't just cost Owen his job.

Gwen hadn't realised she'd started shivering until a coat was draped over her shoulders. In her haste to leave the flat, she'd forgotten to grab her own jacket. She looked towards the kind donor and found Megan at her side.

"What are you doing standing out here in the cold with no coat?" Megan asked. "You'll catch your death and you've got a little one to think of. Come on, give me your bag and let's get inside." Megan took her bag from her and led her into the flat. "Listen babe, you can stay as long as you like and me and Trina, we'll always be here for you, you know that."

"Thanks." Gwen replied quietly.

"And you forget about that no good bloke of yours. You deserve better than him, Gwen. That bastard didn't know what he had." Megan ranted. "Well I hope he realises now he's lost you and I hope it hurts him like hell."

"Megan, I love him." Gwen said. "Despite everything he's done, I still love him. So much. And honestly, I'm not ready to give up on this relationship yet."

"Gwen, he's cheating on you." Megan argued. "You can't just let him do that to you."

"Maybe we're wrong." She shrugged.

"You saw the picture." Megan pointed out.

"I know but..." Gwen sighed as she thought back to what Jack had said in the car. "Maybe there's more to it than we think. We're just...jumping to conclusions."

Megan shook her head in disbelief.

"He has got you wrapped around his little finger." She said and walked away. "Look, let's forget about him tonight. You've had enough drama today, you don't want to stress yourself out too much in your condition."

"You're starting to sound like my mum." Gwen sighed.

"Yes well, let's get a hot drink inside you." Megan said.

"As long as it's decaf. Got a little one to think about remember." She smiled.

When Gwen went to grab her night things, she realised she'd picked up an old shirt of Owen's she sometimes slept in. She held it up to her nose and breathed in Owen's scent. She closed her eyes and imagined he was stood beside her. His warm, strong arms wrapped around her and he held her tight as he kissed her gently. Everything felt like it used to when they first started seeing each other, though she wasn't pregnant then. Owen's hand ran over her stomach and he smiled.

"I love you both." He whispered.

"Gwen, the bathroom is free if you need it." Megan called as she entered the room.

Gwen jumped and spun around.

"Erm...thanks." She mumbled.

Gwen sighed as she looked down at Owen's shirt in her hands.

After insisting on taking the sofa, Gwen tossed and turned all night. She wanted to go back home to Owen but every time she thought about him, she just kept seeing him and that woman together. She wanted to believe that everything Jack had said was true and that Owen would never do that to her but it was just so hard. Then there was Torchwood. Her and Andy had seen him with them. What was he doing there? Were Torchwood and this woman connected? After all, Megan and Trina had said they'd got out of a black SUV. How many black SUVs were out there?

When Owen entered the Hub the next morning, his hair was dishevelled and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"Are you ok Owen?" Jack asked.

"Gwen didn't come home last night. Her car's gone and I don't know where she is. I called her parents but they said she was still at the flat when they left. Her phone's turned off. I've been worried sick. She's never done anything like this before." Owen answered. "Where is she? What if something's happened to her?"

Jack could see the panic and pain in Owen's eyes and he knew he had to say something.

"Owen, Gwen's safe. She's ok." He said reassuringly.

"How do you know?" Owen asked.

"I talked to her." He answered.

"What?" Owen gasped. "What did you say? What did you do? Where is she? Tell me where she is."

"She's at a friends. Don't worry, I didn't say anything and I didn't do anything. She said she just...needed some space." Jack told him.

"Why? What else did she tell you? Which friends?" He demanded.

"I can't tell you, I promised her I wouldn't say anything." Jack said. "Look, give her the space she needs, she'll come to you when she's ready and when she does...take the week off. I mean it. I'll promise not to call you in. You need to talk things over, set things straight...and tell her about Torchwood."

"You'd let me tell her?" Owen asked.

"You've lied to Gwen for three years and it's tearing your relationship apart...and it's all my fault. I've been selfish and I should have let you tell her once you two got serious. None of this would have happened if I had just let you." Jack said.

"None of what? What has happened?" Owen demanded. Jack turned and started to head into his office. "Jack, tell me where she is."

"Owen, go with Tosh back to the bomb site and make sure there aren't any more of those things around." Jack ordered without turning around.

Owen was about to argue but Jack closed the door behind him. He screamed with rage as Tosh stepped up behind him.

"Come on, Owen." Tosh said gently. "Jack's right, give her some space. You don't want to her to see you like this, do you?"

Owen hung his head and looked at the floor as he tried to calm down his breathing.

Megan was surprised to see Gwen up so early. She was making herself busy in the kitchen, making coffee and toast, putting away last night's mugs and tidying up.

"You're up early." Megan yawned as she sat at the breakfast bar.

"Didn't sleep last night." Gwen admitted.

"Gwen." Megan sighed. "You can't stress yourself out like this. You're losing sleep and you've -"

"Got a little one to think of. I know." Gwen snapped. Megan looked at her in surprise and she sighed and held her face in her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It's just...everything's so...messed up."

"I know, babe." Megan said gently. "Things will get better, you'll see."

Gwen gave her a small smile and went to pour her friend a drink as Megan turned on the television. The screen flickered into life on a news channel.

"Following an explosion down at the Q section of the docks." The newsreader said. "There were three fatalities and six seriously injured. It has been said that the explosion was caused by a build up of gas due to a ventilation blockage. However, the police are said to be still investigating."

"Busy day at the station then." Gwen sighed. "Better get going. See you."

"See you." Megan called as Gwen left the flat.

Gwen arrived at the station and caught up with Andy.

"Hey, heard about that explosion last night. Were you there?" She asked.

"No I was on match duty." Andy answered. "I heard bloody Torchwood's taken over the case now though. Apparently they just walked on site and said they were taking over. Bloody arrogant sods. Heard they're up there again this morning."

"At the bomb site?" Gwen enquired.

"Yeah." He nodded. Gwen thought about it for a few moments before she ran out of the station. Andy frowned as he started to follow her out. "Hey, where you going?"

Gwen jumped into her car and sped off.

When she reached the site, she parked the car out of sight and quietly got out to find a place to watch without being spotted.

Owen rolled his eyes as he turned around to see Tosh hobbling and stumbling over the debris.

"Told you, you shouldn't have come. You'll just end up hurting that ankle even more." He said.

"I'm fine." She told him. "Besides, none of you understand how to read this thing properly."

She indicated the energy reader in her hand.

"I know that...when it beeps it's...bad...right?" He replied.

It was Tosh's turn to roll her eyes and as she did, she tripped again and Owen caught her just before she hit the floor. He led her over to the side of a warehouse and leant her against the wall.

Gwen found a spot she could watch from and looked over to see two figures standing beside one of the warehouses. Squinting her eyes, she spotted the leather jacket she knew so well and had often worn when they were out and she got cold. Owen shifted slightly to the side and Gwen saw the woman she'd seen him with in the picture. His hands were on her hips and they were standing close together. Gwen gasped and the sound was carried by the wind over to Owen and the other woman. His head snapped round and he looked straight at her.

Owen couldn't believe what was happening. Gwen was stood a few feet away and here he was, holding Toshiko up against a wall. He knew what it must have looked like to her. He let go of Tosh and started to walk towards Gwen.

Tears poured down her face as she watched him step closer. She shook her head before she turned and ran back to her car. She heard Owen's footsteps crunching on the gravel as he ran to catch up with her.

"Gwen, wait." He shouted. "It's not what it looked like. I swear."

She ignored him as she ripped open her car door and got inside. She sped off just before he reached the car. Go on, Captain Jack, explain that one.

The door to their flat burst open as Gwen ran inside. She started grabbing her things and shoving them into bags. Moments later, she heard footsteps entering the flat and she knew exactly who it would be.

"Who is she Owen?" She shouted as he came into the bedroom.

"I swear, Gwen. It wasn't what it looked like." He told her.

"Oh yeah sure." She replied sarcastically. "So who is she?"

"She's just a friend from work. She means nothing to me. Look, she hurt her ankle the other day and she went over on it again today. I was just helping her to stand up." He explained.

"What the hell were you doing with her at the bomb site with no one else around? Why were you seen with her last night in front of the Millennium Centre if she's a friend from the hospital?" Gwen demanded. "You told me you were working."

"I was." He replied truthfully.

"Oh right. I forgot the hospital was right next to the Millennium Centre." Gwen spat. "So you were working again when I saw you, yeah? What happened? Did the building grow legs and move?"

"I don't work at the hospital." Owen said quietly. Gwen gasped as she stared at him in shock. When she didn't say anything, Owen took the opportunity to explain everything. "Look, Toshiko is a work friend...but not from the hospital. I work for Torchwood. I have done for almost five years now."

"So our whole relationship is a lie?" She asked.

"No, of course not. I might have lied about my job but I have never lied about my feelings for you." He told her sincerely. "I love you, Gwen. I love you more than anything on this planet. You mean the world to me." He walked over and took hold of her hand. "I swear to you, I would never be unfaithful. You had me worried sick last night because you'd just disappeared without a trace." She looked away guiltily. She knew she should've left a message or something just to let him know she was ok. His hand came up to cup her face and she looked into his eyes. "Gwen, words aren't enough to describe how much I love you but I can say that I can't wait to make you my wife."

"But why did you lie to me?" She asked.

"I had to. My job...it's not your average day job." He answered.

"So...you're not a doctor then?" She said.

"No, I'm still a doctor. I did work in a hospital for a while. Look, come here." He led her to sit down on the bed and he held her hands tightly in his. "Let me explain."

Owen told her everything about Torchwood and why he couldn't tell her and why Jack had let him tell her now. Once he'd finished, he closed his eyes and let out a breath he'd been holding for years and Gwen knew instantly that he was telling the truth.

"You're serious." She whispered. Owen nodded, keeping his head bowed and his eyes closed. "And there's really nothing going on between you and this woman?"

He looked up into her eyes and held her face in his hand.

"Nothing." He told her.

She gazed into his eyes for a few moments before she pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss. She fisted her hands into his shirt as his arms wrapped tightly around her and he desperately kissed her back. When they pulled away, Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck and leant her head on his shoulder.

"Owen, I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He replied. He pulled back and grinned. "Do you want to see it?"

"See what?" She asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Where I work." He answered.

"Erm...yeah, ok." She nodded.

"Great. I'll just call Jack." He said. Gwen realised she should probably call work and she went to grab her phone but he kept his arm around her waist. "Don't go."

"Owen, I have to call work before I get fired." She told him.

"What will you say?" He asked.

"That I'm not feeling too well. They'll understand." She said.

"Ok. Don't be long." He replied.

"I won't." She promised. She stood up and held his face in her hands, smiling as she leant in to kiss him. "Listen, we've got things to talk about tonight."

"I know. I'm sorry, Gwen. I will change, I promise. Jack said I could have the week off and I will make sure it's a proper week off." He promised. "No phone calls, I'll turn my phone off. I won't think about work, I won't even mention it."

"No, Owen." She laughed. "Although that is probably something we should talk about, it's not what I meant."

"What did you mean? You do still want to marry me, don't you?" He asked.

"Of course I do." She smiled. "It's nothing to worry about, I promise. I'd better call work." She kissed him again before heading out of the room. "Be right back."

She wasn't brave enough to ring Temple so she decided to bail out and get someone else to tell him. Andy would not thank her when he next saw her.

"Gwen, where the hell did you run off to?" Andy demanded as he answered his phone.

"Andy, I'm sorry. I just had to check something out." She told him. "Look, I need you to do me a really big favour. I'll...I'll take on some of your shifts for a month, I'll do your admin, I'll -"

"Alright, what is it?" Andy asked suspiciously.

Gwen hesitated before telling him.

"I'm not coming back into work, I'm not feeling so good. I...I need you to tell Temple." She said.

"What? Why can't you do it yourself?" He asked.

"I've already been to him once this week and I really don't want to get too stressed in my condition..." She replied, hoping to pull on his heart strings.

"Fine." Andy sighed after a few moments of silence. "But you owe me. Big time."

"Thank you, Andy." She smiled. "I will make this up to you."

"You'd better." He mumbled. "Look, I hope you get better soon and I hope it's nothing serious."

"No, it's just a bit of a stomach upset, that's all." She said. "Thanks again. I'll see you soon."

As she put the phone down, arms wrapped around her from behind and she smiled as she leant her head back on Owen's shoulder. A little sigh of contentment escaped her lips as he kissed her temple.

"I called Jack. He's expecting us." Owen told her.

"Ok." She smiled. "My car or yours?"

"Well, my car's at work and I came back in the SUV. Let's take the company car." He grinned.

He led her out of the flat to the black SUV that was parked behind her car. It was immaculately clean, inside and out, Gwen noticed. Her eyes widened as she climbed into the passengers seat and she looked around at all the different gadgets.

"Wow. It's very...impressive and...clean." She said. "I'm scared to sit down in case I leave a mark."

"Yeah, that's Ianto for you. Keeps everything neat and tidy." Owen sighed.

"He wouldn't, by any chance, wear a suit?" Gwen asked.

"That's him." Owen nodded. "How do you know?"

"Oh, erm...just a hunch." She shrugged. "So...what's all this for?"

She gestured around the car and gasped as she accidentally caught a switch causing a small screen on the dashboard to light up.

"Don't worry, that's just the GPS." He laughed. "The rest...just basic tracking and surveillance devices."

"Yeah...looks basic." Gwen nodded sarcastically. Owen chuckled as he started the car and drove her towards the Millennium Centre. "You work in the Millennium Centre?"

"No. More sort of...underneath it." He answered.

"Like in a basement?" She frowned.

"No I literally mean underneath it." He said. "You'll see." When they parked the car, they climbed out and he held his hand out to her. "So, which way should we go in? Personally, I like the invisible lift. It sounds more impressive and you get a great view of the Hub."

"Invisible lift?" She laughed. "Ok, now you're just pulling my leg." He just smiled as he led her over to the water tower and stood as if waiting for something to happen. "Owen, we look like idiots just stood here."

"No one can see us." He told her. "I mean, they can kind of. Like something out of the corner of your eye. Watch this." Owen pointed to a woman with a very bad spray tan who looked like she was in a rush. "Yeah. I'd hurry up too with that spray tan. I'd ask for my money back if I were you."

"Owen." Gwen hissed as the woman sped past them but she didn't even notice them.

"There's a perception filter, only on this spot though. We step on here and we're invisible. Step off..." Owen stepped off the paving stone. "And they can see us again."

"Of course I can see you." A man frowned as he walked past. "Who you talking to?"

Owen stepped back beside Gwen and grinned.

"They really can't see us." She said.

"Nope." He replied. He stood directly in front of her and ran his hands up her legs to her hips. "We can do anything on this spot and no one will see a thing."

"Oh behave you." She scolded though there was a small smirk on her lips. He leant in to kiss her when the stone started to lower them into the ground. She gasped and grabbed onto him tightly. Gwen's eyes grew wider still as she looked around at the huge underground base that came into view. "It's beautiful." She breathed.

"Yeah, I guess it is." He nodded.

When it reached the bottom, he took her hand and led her over to his team. He wrapped his arm around her as he smiled at them.

"Good to see you again." Jack grinned.

Gwen blushed as he shook her hand.

"Hi. Listen, I am so sorry for what I said." She told him. "I didn't know you were – I wouldn't have -"

"It's ok." He replied with a reassuring smile.

"As you know, this is Jack, my boss." Owen said then turned to Ianto. "This is Ianto Jones."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Ianto smiled.

"You too." She smiled as she shook his hand.

"And this is – oh God, Tosh, sorry. Did you get back alright?" Owen asked.

"Yes. I called Ianto to come and fetch me." She told him.

"I'm so sorry I just left you like that." Owen apologised.

"Don't worry about it. You had to go." Tosh smiled.

Gwen's jaw tightened as she looked at Tosh. She instantly realised this woman had a crush on her fiancé. She saw the way she smiled up at him with those big doe eyes. When she glanced at Owen, she felt a deep sense of smugness as she saw nothing but a friendly smile in Owen's eyes. There was no tenderness there like when he looked at her.

"He's mine, love." Gwen thought and shuffled closer to Owen.

"This is Toshiko Sato." Owen told her. Gwen gave her a tight smile as she shook her hand. "Everyone, this is Gwen Cooper, my beautiful fiancée."

Gwen wanted to add 'pregnant fiancée' but quickly decided against it as she still hadn't told Owen yet. Instead she ran her hand discreetly over her stomach and smirked as she glanced at Tosh and saw her shocked expression.

"Miss Cooper, I want to apologise for not letting Owen tell you the truth about his job." Jack told her. "I should have known what it might do to a relationship as solid as yours." Gwen and Owen smiled at each other and she snuggled into him. "Owen trusts you and I should have had faith in him and trusted you too. At least there'll be no more arguments between me and Owen about telling you."

"You wanted to tell me?" Gwen asked Owen.

"Of course I did. I hated lying to you all the time." Owen told her. "And I don't want there to be secrets and lies when we get married." She smiled and caught his lips in a gentle kiss. When they pulled away, he smiled and squeezed her hand. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Captain Jack disappeared into his office to watch the monitors, curious to see how an outsider would react.

He took her down into the autopsy bay, then to the boardroom and down to the firing range. The more she saw, the more lost for words she became. It was all fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Owen told her what some of the pieces of technology could do and it had made her shudder.

He finally took her down into the cells and he showed her the resident Weevil.

"And this is an actual alien?" She whispered as she stepped closer to the glass.

The Weevil pulled it's top lip back over it's teeth and growled. Gwen jumped back and grabbed Owen's arm.

"It's ok. It's safe." Owen reassured her.

Gwen continued to stare at it in amazed silence. She frowned as she suddenly heard the sound of a child crying. She pulled away from Owen and slowly walked back to the first cell she'd passed. When she'd first entered the room, Gwen had thought the cell had been empty but now, as she stepped into view, she saw a small boy sat in the corner. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his face was hidden in his arms as he cried. The Weevil growled again and the boy pressed himself against the wall, trying to get as far away as he could.

"What's this boy doing down here in a cell?" Gwen asked.

"He's an alien." Owen answered.

It wasn't until Gwen looked closer that she saw the fish like fin that ran down his spine.

"He's scared stiff." Gwen whispered as she pressed a hand to the glass. She couldn't tell whether it was her maternal instincts kicking in or if it was just her natural instincts but all she wanted to do was hold him and tell him it was ok. "Open the door."

"Gwen, he's an alien. You can't go in there, it's too dangerous." Owen protested.

"He's just a boy." Gwen argued.

"An alien boy." Owen argued back. "We don't know what he's capable of."

"Does he look like he could hurt anyone? He's just a child for God's sake." Gwen shouted.

"Looks can be deceiving." Owen replied.

"He's frightened and God knows I would be stuck in a cell with that thing growling it's head off." She argued. "Open the door."

"I can't let you in there." He said.

"Open the door." She shouted. Owen sighed as he keyed in the code and the door opened. Gwen stepped inside and he followed quickly after. She knelt down beside the boy and reached out a comforting hand. When she turned to look at Owen, her eyes widened as he pulled out a gun from his belt and gripped it tightly in case of attack. Gwen gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Put it away, Owen. Better still, wait outside. He's just a child."

Owen reluctantly left the cell but stayed outside, watching closely.

"Be careful." He told her.

She nodded and turned back to the little boy. Her hand rested on his back and his sobs quietened. She slowly moved closer to him until her arm was wrapped around him. The sobbing stopped and the boy slowly lifted his head up. He looked straight into her eyes with a curious expression on his face. Gwen couldn't name the colour his eyes were as she'd never seen anything like them but she found them beautiful.

The Weevil let out a long wailing sound and the boy shrank into Gwen, hiding his face in her shoulder.

"Hey, hey, it's ok." She whispered. "You're safe. It can't hurt you."

The boy pulled away and looked up at her with pleading eyes. He lifted his hand to her face and placed it gently on her cheek. She saw Owen start towards them but she held her hand up to stop him without taking her eyes off the boy. She gasped as she heard his thoughts in her mind.

"Please. Make it stop." He pleaded. "I'm frightened."

"I will, I promise." She told him but her lips never moved. She found herself communicating with the boy through thought. "What's your name?"

"George." He told her.

"George?" She repeated.

It wasn't what she'd been expecting.

"My parents visited Earth before I was born. They liked the name." He explained.

"Ok, George, I'm Gwen. You don't have to be scared, I won't let it hurt you." She promised. He pulled his hand away and she turned to speak to Owen. "Can't you let him go?"

Owen shook his head sadly.

"It's too dangerous to let him go. Not just for everyone out there but for him too." Owen explained. "Imagine what would happen if some cruel bastard found him. He'd be stuck inside a cage to be gawked at for the rest of his life. Or worse."

Gwen nodded sadly as she understood.

"Well, can't you at least move him? Just to get him away from the Weevil." Gwen said. "He's just frightened."

"We can move him into the cells below." Jack's voice said from the doorway. "There are no Weevils down there."

"Thank you, Jack." Gwen replied. "And how about a blanket or something, he's freezing." She turned to George and she reached for his hand, waiting to see if he was ok before she took it and pressed it to her face. "Are you cold?"

"Yes." He replied.

"They won't let you go but they'll take you somewhere away from that thing. You don't have to be frightened any more." She told him.

The little boy gave her a small smile and she stood up, gently pulling him with her. He hid behind her, clutching her hand tightly as she led him out of the cell. He looked between Jack and Owen nervously before Jack nodded once and led them to the other cells. Jack called for Ianto and asked him to bring down a couple of blankets.

When they reached the cell, Gwen took the blankets from Ianto and placed one on the floor to try and make it more comfortable then she gestured for George to sit down. As she started to tuck the other one around him, he pressed his hand to her cheek once again.

"Thank you." He said. "You will make a great mother." Gwen smiled and finished tucking him in. "Please Gwen. Come back soon."

"I'll try." She promised.

She left the cell and Jack punched in the code that would lock it behind her.

"Good work." Jack smiled. "You're the only one that's been able to communicate with him since we brought him here."

"All it takes is a little patience and a little compassion." Gwen replied. "What will happen to him? He's not going to stay locked in a cell for the rest of his life, is he?"

"We're doing what we can." Jack told her. "We'll try and get him back home but...until then...he's stuck here."

"Ok. Promise me something." She said. Jack and Owen looked at each other before nodding. "His name's George and he's asked me to come back. I want to, if you'll let me."

"Of course." Jack nodded.

"That's not it. When I can't -" Gwen paused as she realised her hand was rubbing her stomach and she quickly dropped her hand. "If I can't come down..." Jack understood that she'd meant when she went into later stages of pregnancy and nodded his head slightly when Gwen looked at him. "Promise me that someone will come and sit with him every now and then. Just...talk to him or whatever you want to call it. And no guns, for God's sake. He's a little boy who's a long way from home and he's lonely and scared. Please, can you do that?"

"We can do that." Jack replied.

"Thank you." She said.

Owen smiled lovingly at her and he took her hand in his.

He led her back to the main area of the Hub then the team and Gwen went to sit in the conference room.

"Would you like a coffee, Gwen?" Ianto asked.

"Yes please." She smiled.

"Decaf, I take it." He replied.

"Please." She nodded.

Owen raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she struggled to find an explanation. Luckily she didn't have to as Toshiko spoke to her.

"Owen talks about you all the time." Tosh smiled.

"Does he?" Gwen asked as she smiled smugly in her head. "Complaining about me I'd bet."

"No, no. He speaks very fondly of you. You can tell he loves you a lot." Tosh said and Gwen saw her gaze a little sadly at Owen.

Owen's arm wrapped around Gwen and she snuggled into his side. He pressed a kiss to her head as she sighed in contentment. Ianto handed out their coffees and she smiled in thanks. While they drank, Jack explained more about Torchwood to Gwen. He told her about each of their separate jobs with help from the rest of the team.

"Told you I was still a doctor." Owen said.

"Yeah but...you cut up dead things." Gwen cringed as she looked at the hand clasping hers.

"Not all the time. I do treat people sometimes, usually victims of alien attacks. Sometimes I treat the aliens we capture if they're injured and...not going to kill me within ten seconds of me going into their cells." Owen told her.

"My fiancé, doctor to the aliens." Gwen laughed. "I'm glad I can't say anything to my parents. It would've been fun trying to convince them we hadn't gone mad." She glanced at her watch and looked at Owen. "It's getting late and we still have things to talk about."

"Yeah, we should go home." He nodded.

"Owen, remember what I said. Take the week off." Jack said.

"Oh I will." Owen nodded and looked intently at Gwen. "I almost lost her once, I'm not letting it happen again."

Gwen smiled as she stroked his face with her thumb. His eyes closed as he leant into her touch.

"Come on." She whispered. "Let's go home." She turned to look at the rest of the team. "It was nice meeting you all at last and properly this time, not just quick glances from afar."

"Gwen, I'm sorry about what you saw earlier." Toshiko said. "It was all my fault."

"No, don't be silly. It was all a misunderstanding and I was just jumping to conclusions." Gwen replied and glanced at Jack who gave her a small smile. "I should have just spoken to Owen before all of this even happened."

Toshiko gave her a shy smile which she tried to return as she noticed Tosh's eyes flickering to Owen.

"You're welcome to come back any time you like and not just to sit with George." Jack told her.

She smiled at the Captain as Owen led her out of the room. Gwen looked around the main area of the Hub one last time before Owen pulled her through the rolling door and to his car.

"Tosh fancies you, you know." Gwen said as they climbed in.

"What?" Owen laughed. "No she doesn't."

"She does." Gwen replied, giving him a look. "Trust me, I've seen the way she looks at you. Like a love-struck teenager. Did you not see how disappointed she was when she found out I was pre – still going to marry you after everything? She's in love with you, Owen. She wants you."

She hoped Owen hadn't picked up on her mistake but it seemed he hadn't.

"Well, you've got no worries there." He chuckled. "Tosh isn't exactly my type."

"Really? She's a good looking woman." Gwen said.

"Yeah she's a great girl but...a bit of a geek." Owen told her. "She has some weird fascination with technology and sometimes I worry about just how far her fascination goes." Gwen glanced out of the corner of her eye at Owen. Although she was happy to hear that Owen had no feelings for Tosh whatsoever, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. "She spends a lot of time at the Hub, I wonder if she's actually got a life -"

"Owen, alright, you don't have feelings for her." Gwen interrupted. "Let's just...leave it at that."

"Ok. So, we should probably start with the talking now." Owen said.

"Well...some of it." Gwen replied. "I'd rather wait until we get home but we can make a start. Owen...I realise now that your job is so important. Not just to you but to everyone else because you're saving lives and they don't even realise it. But when I didn't know, I felt like I was second best to your job because you'd gladly drop everything you were doing to go to work and to be honest...I still feel like that."

"Gwen, I never 'gladly' dropped anything to go to work. I hated leaving you and I only did it because I had no choice. Believe me, after almost losing you, that's going to change. Gwen, you are the most important person in my life and you always will be. I love you. You'll never be second best to me." Owen told her sincerely.

"But how can I compete with...aliens and...all that equipment? It's so much more exciting than normal life. Why would you want to marry me when you could be out there doing all that exciting stuff?" Gwen asked sadly.

When they stopped at the traffic lights, Owen turned to Gwen and held her face in his hand.

"There is no competition." He told her. "And if there had to be, you'd win every time. This job, it can be exciting and it can be an adventure but the biggest adventure of my life will be to marry you and possibly start a family. I can't wait to start that adventure with you."

Gwen felt as though her stomach was swelling even more as she ached to tell him but she wanted to wait until he was no longer behind the wheel. She didn't want him to crash the car. She smiled at him instead and placed her hand over his. He leant towards her to capture her lips in a kiss but as their lips were millimetres apart, a car horn sounded from behind them. Owen sighed as he sat back in his chair and noticed the lights had changed to green.

When they reached the flat, Owen pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

"What was that for?" She breathed.

"No particular reason other than the fact that I love you." He answered. He sighed as he leant his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "I hate that it took you almost leaving me to realise just how much I'd been letting my work get in the way." Gwen wiped away a tear that rolled down his cheek and he took a deep breath. "Anyway, what else did you want to talk about?"

"I think...you should be sitting down for this, somewhere more comfortable. How about the bedroom?" She suggested.

Owen raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

"Do you want to talk to me or just get me into bed?" He laughed.

"Owen, please just...go and sit down." She said. She followed him into the bedroom and watched as he sat down. "Ok, well...as you know, I've not been feeling too well these past couple of mornings."

"Past couple? It's been going on for almost two months. Oh God, what's wrong? Are you ok?" He panicked.

"Nothing's wrong." Gwen reassured him. She stood in front of him and took hold of his hands. "This is how...obsessed you've been with work. You haven't even noticed. Everyone noticed before you did." She put his hands on her stomach and smiled. "I'm pregnant. Two months."

She watched as Owen's eyes dropped to her stomach and widened. She moved her hands away and he kept his on her stomach, his fingers gently running over her bump. He gasped as he felt the subtle roundness to her stomach. Gwen waited nervously for his reaction as he continued to stare at her stomach.

"Pregnant." He whispered. His eyes suddenly met hers and he grinned. "This is fantastic. Oh, this is...brilliant. We're going to be parents – I'm going to be a dad." He pulled her down onto his lap and kissed her passionately. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I've only recently found out myself. I tried to tell you the day I found out but you didn't seem interested in what I had to say." Gwen mumbled.

"Our anniversary dinner." He realised. "I'm so sorry, I should have realised. All the signs, the sickness, the decaf coffee, you didn't have wine when we had dinner with your parents. You tried to make me see as well. The other day, in the shower, you asked me...I looked right at you...but I didn't see...and I am so sorry. I really am. I'll make this up to you and our baby. I'll be the best dad and the best husband I can be."

"I know you will." Gwen smiled.

"I want to...can I?" He asked as his hands gripped the bottom of her t-shirt. Gwen climbed off his lap and lay on the bed, propped up by her elbows. She tugged her t-shirt up and he smiled as he lay beside her, his head level with her stomach. His hand ran over her bump causing her to smile. "Well...hey there. I'm your dad. I'm sorry I haven't been much of one yet but I promise, I will be."

Gwen looked down at him sadly and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Owen." She whispered.

He leant in and placed a kiss on her stomach.

"Well, I guess that settles it." Owen sighed.

"What?" Gwen asked.

"You're stuck with me now. We'll have to get married." He told her.

"I can live with that." She giggled.

"That's another thing. We'll have to get a bigger place." He said.

"Our adventure." Gwen smiled. "You sure you're ready?"

"As long as you're by my side, I'm ready for anything." He answered. They shared a loving smile before Owen looked back down at where his hand rested on her stomach. "Do you want to get married before or after the baby's born?"

"Before or I won't be able to go on the honeymoon because I'd miss our baby too much." She told him.

"So that gives us seven months to tie the knot." He said. "No pressure."

"Well, it's not too bad. We already put a deposit down on the venue last month so all we have to do is call them up and ask if they can move up the wedding. Megan and Trina are going to be bridesmaids and I've picked out dresses, we just need to go for our fittings. All we've go to do then is find a caterer, invitations, music, decorations. You still need to find a best man. I want to get settled into our new home before the baby's born. Oh God, we're not going to get it done." She gasped.

"Gwen, calm down. We will get it done." He said reassuringly. "Let's not think about all that tonight. We've had a long day."

"Yeah." Gwen sighed. "Come on, we should get something to eat."

"Can't we stay here just a bit longer?" Owen pouted as he rubbed her stomach and looked up at her with his big brown eyes. "Just five more minutes with our son or daughter."

"No." She giggled. "Our son or daughter needs food. We'll have something to eat then I promise we can come back and you can have as long as you want."

"Ok." He nodded. He placed another kiss on her stomach before he gently put her top back in place and helped her off the bed. His arms wrapped around her waist and he buried his face in her shoulder. She smiled as she placed her arms around his neck. "I love you."

"Love you too." She breathed. After dinner, they headed back to the bedroom and changed. Gwen lay back in the position she'd been earlier as Owen climbed on beside her. He caught her lips in a long, tender kiss before he took up his earlier position. His hand ran across her stomach and he brushed it with his lips. As he started to talk gently to their unborn child, Gwen yawned and he looked up at her. "Sorry, I didn't sleep last night."

"Me neither." He told her and looked at his hand. "I was worried sick about your mum."

Gwen bit her lip guiltily and looked down at the bed.

Owen's soft voice and his hand gently caressing her stomach in soothing circles, soon had her eyelids drooping and she lay back on the bed. Her hand joined Owen's as she slipped into a deep sleep. Owen joined her a while later as he climbed back up and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

The next morning, Gwen smiled as she turned her head to the side and opened her eyes. Her smile fell as she saw the bed empty beside her. Something soft brushed her stomach and she grinned as she knew exactly what it would be. Looking down, she saw Owen lying like he had done the night before. He looked up when she let out a soft laugh.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" He asked.

"No, you didn't." She told him.

Owen looked at her with an unreadable expression before he turned to her bump.

"Excuse me, sweetheart but I'm going to have a little cuddle with your mum now." He kissed her stomach and started to crawl up the bed before he paused. "Oh, don't worry about any noises you'll be hearing, I'm not hurting her."

"Oh really?" Gwen laughed. "What noises would those be?"

Owen soon answered her question.

Every night, Owen would lie gently running his hand over her bump and whispering to it and every night it would cause Gwen to fall asleep like a lullaby.

One night on her fourth month of pregnancy, Owen was talking to the baby as usual.

"Honestly, as soon as your mum set eyes on me, that was it. She was pulling out all the stops, flirting, trying to get me drunk so I'd get into bed with her." Owen said.

"I was not. I think you'll find it was the other way around." Gwen laughed.

"It wasn't. There I was, having an innocent drink by myself and your mum walks over with her eyes narrowed like some kind of predator." Owen grinned. "I was trapped the minute – whoah." Owen sat up quickly as did Gwen. She clutched at her stomach as Owen kept one hand on her bump and pointed with the other. "Did you feel that?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"Of course I did, fool." She said and smiled. "See, the baby knows you're lying so it kicked you."

"Wow. That is...that's bloody amazing." Owen laughed. "There it is again." Gwen laughed and grabbed Owen's free hand. "What does it feel like?"

"It's weird...it's a strange...fluttering sensation." Gwen told him as she struggled to find the right words to describe the strange new feeling inside her. "It's so weird but beautiful at the same time. This is good right? When we had the scan, the doctor said we should feel the baby move soon so this is a good sign, isn't it?"

"It's a great sign. Gwen, everything is going to be fine." He reassured her.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous. First time mother and everything." She said.

"You don't have to be nervous, you'll be the best mum there is." He smiled.

"I can't wait. The wedding's in two weeks then we move into our new house next month then just a few months to wait until our baby arrives." Gwen grinned. "I can't believe they accepted our offer so quick." Owen smiled secretively and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Did Torchwood, by any chance, have something to do with this?"

"Well...it does help when you've got a technical expert working with you who can hack into any system. Plus, no one can turn down a pregnant woman." Owen said.

"Owen." Gwen sighed. "Not that it wasn't a lovely gesture and I appreciate it a lot but there are some things I'd like to do normally. Starting a family and all the stuff it involves, I want us to work at it together, the way normal couples do. It's that thing about keeping work and personal life separate."

"You're right." Owen nodded. "Sorry, I just wanted to give you everything you wanted. I want you to be happy."

"I am happy and I know you're trying to do what you think is right." She replied. "And I love you even more for it."

"But this is something we need to do on our own." Owen agreed. "This is you and me, starting our own family and a new life. It's you and me setting out on our own adventure."

"Couldn't have put it better myself." She smiled.

A few nights later, Owen woke up to find the bed empty beside him and he could hear someone clattering around in the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes as he climbed out of bed and went to investigate.

"Gwen?" He called through a yawn. He wandered into the kitchen and found Gwen mixing something in a bowl as she danced around. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I woke up because I needed the toilet. So I went and climbed back into bed but I couldn't get back to sleep. The baby kept kicking and it was keeping me up so I got up." She explained.

"And started making..." Owen saw the frying pan on the hob and raised an eyebrow. "Pancakes?" He asked.

"The baby wants pancakes." She shrugged.

"At one in the morning, of course it does." Owen mumbled.

"Go back to bed if you're tired. You're not the pregnant one with cravings." She said.

"It's all cold and lonely in there now you've gone." Owen pouted as he wrapped his arms around her waste. As he kissed her, he ran his tongue over her bottom lip and tasted the sweet, sugary taste of pancakes from when she'd obviously eaten some a few moments before. "You taste good. I'm hungry now."

He reached for the pile of ready made pancakes and she slapped his hands away.

"Hands off my pancakes." She laughed.

"Where should I put my hands then?" He smirked.

Gwen rolled her eyes as she shoved the mixing bowl into his hands.

"You want pancakes, you make your own." She told him and sat down to eat the ones she'd already made. "Do you think I could get the caterer to make pancakes for the wedding?"

"If we could, I bet you'd ask for a pile of pancakes rather than a wedding cake." Owen sighed as he started to make his own.

When he glanced at Gwen, he laughed as she had turned thoughtful as she wondered if it would be possible.

On the day of the wedding, Gwen paused the ceremony to announce that the baby had just kicked. Her mother had jumped up to feel it and they'd waited ten minutes for it to kick again but nothing happened. Owen couldn't help but smile fondly as Gwen apologised to everyone for the hold up.

As the couple shared their first dance, they gazed into each other's eyes and Gwen wondered if she could possibly get any happier. When Owen leant in to kiss her, his hand slipped between them and ran it over her bump and she realised she could. She deepened the kiss and gripped onto his shirt tightly. Owen responded eagerly and her lips parted to grant his tongue access.

"Save it for the honeymoon." A voice interrupted them. They both sighed as they pulled away and turned to face Jack. Gwen had told Owen he could invite his work friends as long as they didn't cause trouble with hers. She knew Torchwood were not popular within the police force. "Congratulations Mr and Mrs Harper on your beautiful wedding." Gwen and Owen smiled at each other then looked back at Jack. "Mrs Harper, I was wondering if I could borrow your husband for...a few minutes."

"What is it Jack?" Gwen sighed.

"Slight Weevil problem. It's only down the road so he would be gone for less than half an hour." Jack told them.

Gwen rolled her eyes as she let go of Owen and gestured for him to go.

"Go on then. You'd better be back in half an hour and don't you dare get that suit dirty." Gwen warned.

Owen looked between Jack and Gwen and shook his head.

"No." He said as he wrapped an arm around Gwen's waist. "This is our wedding day and I'm not ruining it by going to work. Sorry Jack but you'll have to get one of the others to go."

Gwen looked at him in surprise and a small smile crept across her face.

"You'd be gone twenty minutes tops." Jack said, trying to persuade him.

"I'm sorry Jack but my priorities have changed. I've got more important things to worry about. Like my family." Owen told him.

Owen was surprised when Jack smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Ianto and I are due a Weevil hunt together anyway." He said. "Congratulations again and enjoy the honeymoon. I'll see you when you get back."

As Jack walked away, Owen couldn't help but laugh in shock. He turned to Gwen who was smiling at him.

"I am so proud of you." Gwen said.

"Why?" Owen frowned.

"Because for the first time since...probably when you first joined Torchwood – certainly since you started seeing me – you said no. You didn't dash off when Jack said go." Gwen explained.

"I wasn't going to run off on my wedding day." Owen told her. "And besides, like I said to Jack, there are more important things in my life. You and our baby are my number one priority and I am not going to walk out on that."

"I love you." She smiled.

"I love you too." He smiled back and caught her lips in a tender kiss.

"Erm...hate to break up the newly weds." Gwen's dad's voice said. Gwen turned to smile at her dad while Owen tried to hide his annoyance. "Do you mind if I have the next dance with my little duckling?"

"Only if you stop calling me that." Gwen laughed. She turned to give Owen a hug and breathed in his ear. "We'll be alone soon enough with no one to interrupt us."

She kissed his cheek and took her father's hand as he led her further onto the dance floor. She watched Owen being pounced on by her mum and she giggled before she turned her attention to her dad.

"You look beautiful." Geraint smiled through happy tears. "It seems like only yesterday you were climbing up onto my knee for a story and I remember when you used to run around with a pillowcase on your head and pretend you were getting married." Gwen giggled as she shared the memories with him. "I'll always miss those days. You grew up so fast. I'm so proud of you sweetheart. You've got a wonderful job, a loving husband and you've been blessed with a child. I hope I'll still be here to watch my grandchild grow up too."

"Of course you will, don't be silly dad. Don't talk like that." She said. "And I miss those days too but you can tell those stories about the fairies and the princesses to the baby."

"What if it's a boy?" He asked.

"You can still tell them just...don't tell Owen." She laughed.

Geraint chuckled and sighed as he looked into her eyes.

"I've watched you grow from a little girl into a strong, beautiful woman but you'll always be my little duckling." He smiled.

Gwen smiled as she hugged her dad tight and closed her eyes.

"I love you daddy." She whispered.

Hearing Gwen say that one word took him back to the first time she said it. She'd sat in his lap, looking at the brightly coloured pictures of one of her favourite stories. She looked up at him with her big, green eyes, smiling proudly as she said 'daddy'.

Even as he looked into her eyes now, many years later, he could still see that little girl.

He looked over Gwen's shoulder and chuckled.

"I think it's time we rescued Owen from your mother." He told her. Gwen turned and laughed as she saw a flustered Owen dancing with her rather excited mother. He caught her eye and looked back at her desperately. Geraint led them over and placed his hand on Mary's shoulder. "I think the newly weds have been separated long enough."

Owen smiled gratefully at him as he pulled Mary away.

"Oh alright." Mary smiled. "Congratulations to you both anyway. See you soon. We will see you soon, won't we?"

"Mum, you're coming over to help us move." Gwen reminded her.

"Yes." Mary sighed. "But you will come and visit – when the baby's born if it's too much for you now."

"I promise we'll see you as often as we can." Gwen replied.

"Make sure you do." Mary said.

"Come on, Mary. Leave them alone." Geraint smiled gently as he dragged her away.

Owen breathed a sigh of relief as he took Gwen in his arms.

"Thank God for that." Owen sighed. "I mean, I love your mum to bits but she can be a bit of a handful sometimes. She kept asking me why we didn't tell them we were trying for a baby. I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't exactly planned so I just said we didn't want to get anyone's hopes up in case it didn't happen. She kept talking about us having more kids and I think I promised her at least seven in the end."

"What?" Gwen laughed. "Oh, poor you. Come here."

She pulled him into a kiss and smiled as they broke apart.

"I love you Mrs Harper." He smiled. Gwen's smile grew and he lifted a hand to cup her face. "Such a beautiful smile."

They shared a kiss that made the whole world around them fade away until it was just the two of them. One of Owen's hands rested on the base of her back and pressed her into him as the other tangled in her hair.

"Owen." Gwen whispered as they broke apart for air.

"I know, I need you too." He breathed as he covered her lips back over with his.

"No." She gently pushed him away and giggled. "You're pressing the baby into my bladder."

"Oh, sorry." He said quickly and pulled back slightly. "Sorry, little one."

"I'll be right back." She smiled.

"I'll come with you. You know, in case you need someone to hold up your dress or something." He suggested.

"No thanks. There'll be plenty of time for that later." She smirked.

Owen grinned as he watched her leave then turned to look around at everyone. He saw couples that were just starting to blossom and it reminded him of when him and Gwen first started seeing each other. They'd blush at the slightest touch and sometimes they'd just sit gazing into each other's eyes. It seemed silly after he'd already slept with her, but he'd become shy and nervous around her. He'd never really had a real relationship with a girl he'd picked out for a one night stand and he didn't know what to do or how to act. All he knew was that he didn't want to mess it up and that there was something special about her the minute he looked into her eyes.

He looked around again and watched Gwen's parents smiling and laughing and he hoped that him and Gwen would still be that happy and in love in years to come.

Amongst all the people laughing and dancing, he spotted Tosh sat alone at a table and he wandered over to her.

"Thought you'd have gone with Jack and Ianto." Owen said as he sat across from her.

"No, I know what those two are like on a Weevil hunt together." Tosh smiled.

"Yeah." Owen laughed.

A few moments of silence passed between them as Tosh glanced at Owen out of the corner of her eye.

"It's times like these when I feel so lonely." She sighed. "You have Gwen, Jack and Ianto have each other...I don't have anyone."

"You'll find someone, Tosh." He told her. "It's not impossible to have a life outside Torchwood, it's just...difficult. You're a great woman, you'll find that someone special."

"I don't see how. I don't exactly put myself out there." Tosh said.

"No, because you're not like that. You're sweet, kind, gentle Toshiko. Someday, some guy will see how special you are and you'll have all this." He said.

"You are sweet Owen." She smiled.

"Yeah well, don't tell the others." He replied with a grin.

"Gwen's a lucky girl." Tosh sighed as her eyes ran over him.

"No, I'm the lucky one." Owen corrected. "After what I did to her, I'm surprised she stayed with me. If I'd have lost her and our baby...I almost quit Torchwood about a year ago, you know. Hiding all that from Gwen and having to lie all the time...I didn't want to do it. Still considering it now."

"You can't quit Torchwood." Tosh argued.

"Tosh, you've seen all the files. You know what happens to all Torchwood operatives in the end." He said.

"What happens?" A voice asked and Owen looked up quickly to see Gwen had returned. "What happens to Torchwood operatives?"

Tosh looked away awkwardly as Gwen stared between the two.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Don't worry about it sweetheart." Owen answered.

"Owen, tell me. I want to know the truth. Tell me. Come on, no more secrets." Gwen insisted.

Owen sighed as he took Gwen's hand and pulled her down into the chair beside him. He couldn't look at her as he searched for the right words to say.

"In the past...all the people that worked for Torchwood...they all...died. Young." He told her.

He heard Gwen gasp and he gripped her hand tighter.

"But that doesn't mean to say it'll happen to us or anyone that might work for Torchwood in the future." Tosh added quickly.

"The point is, I have a family now and I don't want to...I don't want my son or daughter growing up and asking where I am or why I'm not around. I couldn't put them through that. I couldn't put _you_ through that." Owen said.

"Owen, I don't want to lose you." Gwen whispered and he looked up at her for the first time.

He stared deep into her eyes as he thought about his options.

"Then I'm quitting Torchwood." He replied.

"No. You can't do that." Gwen protested. "You can't quit this job because of me. You love this job and if you left, it would make you unhappy and I could never forgive myself for making you feel like that. I won't let you give up."

"Then what do I do?" He demanded.

Gwen held his face between her hands and ran her thumbs over his cheeks.

"You go out there and you continue to save all those lives. You do the job you love and do best. Just make sure you come home at the end of the day." She replied.

"I will do." He promised, placing his hand over hers. "I have something worth fighting for and I will fight to stay alive."

"And we'll look after him." Tosh promised.

"We'll look after each other." Owen said as he turned to Tosh. Tosh smiled at him before quietly excusing herself from the table. "Wait, Tosh, stay. We're the ones that invaded, we should go but I feel bad about leaving you on your own."

"Actually, Owen...why don't you go and see if Megan or Trina want to dance?" Gwen suggested.

"What? But I've spent more time with other people than I have with you." Owen complained. "And they might be your friends but they drive me mad."

"Owen, it's just one dance. I'll be with you in a minute." She said.

"You owe me." He sighed.

"Later." She breathed and caught his lips in a quick kiss. "Now go on." Owen sighed as he left and she watched him go with a smile. An awkward silence fell between Tosh and Gwen. The two women hadn't really spoken to each other alone and neither knew what to say. "Look, Tosh, I'm sorry we haven't exactly got off on the right foot."

"We haven't?" Tosh asked in surprise.

"Well...not really." Gwen answered awkwardly. "When I first met you...I felt...threatened. I saw how close you and Owen are and I got a bit...jealous. I'm sorry I've been a bit cold towards you. Tosh...I know you have feelings for Owen." Tosh looked away and shifted in her seat as she knew there was no way of denying it. "It's ok, Tosh. I just...want to apologise for my behaviour. I was being possessive of Owen when you were around and rubbing your nose in it and that was awful. I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Tosh told her. "It's me who should be apologising. I should have been more careful – not just on my feet. You never would have thought Owen was cheating if he hadn't have been seen with me and I would be the same if I was in your position. I admit, I do have...feelings for Owen but I promise you, I'd never act on them."

Gwen smiled as she reached across and placed her hand over Tosh's.

"Look, let's forget all this nonsense. Let's just start all over and be friends. Can we do that?" She asked.

"Yes." Tosh smiled.

"Good." Gwen grinned and held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Gwen Cooper."

"Toshiko Sato." Tosh giggled as she shook her hand. "Nice to meet you _Mrs Harper_."

"Oh, God yes. Mrs Harper." Gwen sighed dreamily. "That'll take a while to get used to."

There was another little silence as Gwen's mind wandered off and Tosh smiled as she watched her. Gwen's hand found it's way to her bump and she started to rub small circles.

"Owen said you don't want to know the sex of the baby." Tosh said.

Gwen blinked a few times before she shook her head out of her thoughts and entered the real world once again.

"No, I want it to be a surprise." Gwen replied. "But Owen keeps trying to persuade me into finding out. He's so impatient."

"That's Owen." Tosh laughed.

"What's me?" Owen asked as he appeared at the table.

"Nosey." Gwen smiled. "I thought you were meant to be asking Megan or Trina to dance."

"I tried." Owen shrugged. "But it seems neither of them are speaking to me still. Which I am not complaining about." Gwen frowned and elbowed him in the ribs as he sat down. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Be nice." Gwen replied.

"Sorry but it's hard to be nice about the two women that tried to destroy our relationship." Owen said.

"They weren't trying to destroy anything. They were only looking out for me." Gwen told him. "Anyway, why don't you and Tosh have a dance? I see Captain Jack and Mr Jones have returned and I'd like to get my hands on them both."

"Oi, you're a married woman now." Owen reminded her. "The only man you'll be getting your hands on is me. Besides, I think we've spent enough time away from each other."

"Owen's right." Tosh said. "It's your wedding day, you should be together."

Gwen smiled at Owen and snuggled into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. She giggled and returned the gesture as Ianto approached the table.

"Tosh, would you like to join me for a drink?" He asked.

"Managed to escape from Jack then?" Owen laughed.

"Jack is...otherwise engaged." Ianto answered.

Owen, Gwen and Tosh all turned and spotted Jack flirting with Megan who seemed to be flirting back.

"I don't know who we should warn, Jack or Megan." Owen said.

"So Tosh, would you like that drink?" Ianto asked, ignoring Owen's comment.

Tosh smiled as she left the table with Ianto. The newly weds watched them go before they turned to each other. As their lips met, Owen pulled her onto his lap and her arms went around his neck. When they pulled away, Owen placed his hand on her bump and Gwen placed hers on top. They smiled as they looked down.

"Well kiddo, your mum and dad finally got married. Your mum looks absolutely gorgeous as usual but your dad can not wait to get this stupid suit off." He said.

"I think you look handsome." Gwen smiled. "But I have to admit, it's...not you." She loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons. "That's better."

"I do believe your mother is trying to undress me." Owen said.

"I am not." She laughed. "I told you, there's plenty of time for that later."

Owen wriggled his eyebrows and chuckled before looking back down at where his hand rested on her bump.

"I hope it's a girl. I'd love to spoil her and make her a real daddy's girl. I'll crush any hormone driven boy that tries to touch her. Then again, it'd be cool to have a boy. Now we've got a house with a little garden, we could have a kick about. I'd drive him to his football games or whatever sport he gets into." He said. "Are you sure you don't want to know?"

"No, I want it to be a surprise when the midwife says 'it's a boy' or 'it's a girl'. Whatever this baby is, I'll love our son or daughter with all my heart." She told him.

"Me too. I'll love our baby more than anything, no matter what. But aren't you a little bit curious?" He asked.

"A little." She admitted. "But I still don't want to know and no you can't find out either. You know you'll end up telling me."

"Alright, I'll give you that one." Owen mumbled. "Five more bloody months to wait though."

"You're not sulking are you?" She laughed. "Aaw my big baby. Give me a kiss and it'll be all better."

"A kiss will do for now but it'll take more than that." He smirked.

"Your father has a one track mind." Gwen sighed.

"Yeah but you must have too because you understood what I wanted." He replied.

"Shut up and kiss me." She grinned. Owen chuckled as he placed his lips over hers. She slid her hand beneath his shirt through the space she'd created when she unbuttoned it and stroked her fingers across his chest. She pulled back so their lips were just brushing as she whispered. "I think it's time we left."

"Couldn't agree more." He nodded quickly.

The guests all cheered as the newly weds left for the hotel. Gwen smiled and waved back before turning to Owen and capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. She slid her hands into his hair as he wound his arms around her waist.

"I love you." She smiled.

"I love you too." He whispered. "I can't wait to get to the hotel. I called ahead and arranged for them to do something special with the room. I want our first time as husband and wife to be romantic. Especially as our first time together wasn't exactly romantic and we were both under the influence of a lot of alcohol."

"And you intended it to be a one night stand." Gwen said.

"No, I didn't – oh alright, I did...up until the moment you looked into my eyes." He told her. "In that second I knew, Owen Harper's heart had finally been captured. I knew after that night, I wouldn't be able to let you just walk out of my life. As soon as I saw that smile, I became addicted. I had to see you every day, I had to hear your voice. It got so that not only did I have to see you every day, but I had to wake up to that smile too...and now here we are. I'm so excited to be starting married life with you and having a family of our own."

"Owen, you are so sweet." She smiled. "And I can't wait either. I've wanted this since I was fresh out of college but I never found the right person to share it all with. When I met you, I knew my search was over."

The driver tried to keep his eyes averted every time he checked his mirrors as Gwen and Owen's lips seemed to be glued together.

He coughed politely when they pulled up outside and the couple smiled at each other as they pulled apart. Owen thanked the driver as he helped them inside with their luggage and gave him his tip. The driver smiled and bowed his head slightly towards Gwen before leaving. Owen walked up to the desk to check in.

"Mr and Mrs Harper." He told the receptionist.

"Yes, we have a Mr and Mrs Harper. Honeymoon suite." She nodded as she checked her computer.

"That's us. Have all the arrangements been made?" He asked.

"The final touches are being made now. I'll just go and check how long it'll take for you, sir." She smiled.

Gwen rolled her eyes as the receptionist eyed Owen up and tried to tug her blouse down slightly without anyone noticing. She stepped up beside her husband and took his hand in hers. Owen smiled as he turned to look at her and ran his free hand across her cheek. She grinned smugly as she watched the receptionist's shoulders droop and walk away to check their room.

"That's right, love. He's taken. Married. Hence the honeymoon suite." Gwen thought.

She returned seconds later with a noticeably less cheerful attitude.

"Your room is ready now." She told them and handed them their key. "This way please."

She led them to their room and quickly walked away without a word. Gwen couldn't hide the smirk on her face as she watched the receptionist walk away. When she turned back to Owen, he'd opened the door and was carrying their cases inside. She went to help him but he swatted her hands away.

"No carrying heavy objects in your condition." He said. He placed the bag inside the room and came back to take her hand in his. "Close your eyes."

Gwen laughed and did as she was told. He started to lead her inside and she gripped his hand tightly. She knew she was safe and that Owen would never put her in danger but she couldn't fight that feeling of fear everyone got when they were being led blindly into unfamiliar territory.

"If I trip or bump into something, I will have to kill you." She warned.

"I'd never let you get hurt." He promised. Owen stood her in the middle of the room and let go of her hand. She heard him close the door behind them and then she felt him stand behind her. His hands squeezed her shoulders then ran down her arms to her hands. A small sigh escaped her lips as she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck as he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "Open your eyes."

Her eyes opened slowly and she gasped as she took in the room around her. It was lit only by the scented candles placed around the room. A trail of rose petals led to the four poster bed where more petals had been scattered across it.

"It's beautiful." She whispered and turned around to face him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled.

As their lips met in a tender kiss, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her over to the bed.

A while later, they lay in each other's arms with smiles on their faces.

"I wish we could stay here forever." Gwen said.

"I know." Owen sighed. "It's a shame we're leaving tomorrow."

"Yes but wait until you see the cottage, it's gorgeous." She told him. "I loved it when we went on holiday there when I was a kid. I'm so glad my mum and dad kept it and said we could use it. It's sweet and romantic..." She leant up on her elbow and trailed a finger down his chest. "Plus, there's no one for miles around. We'd be out there, all alone with no one to interrupt...or hear us."

"Oh I am liking the sound of this." He grinned.

She giggled as she leant in to kiss him. She broke away to look lovingly into his eyes then lay back down beside him. He held her tight as they watched the last candle burn out. Gwen yawned and snuggled into him.

"I'm tired." She mumbled.

"Yeah, we should go to sleep now." He nodded. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips then started to shuffle down the bed. She smiled and rolled her eyes. "What? You know I have to do it."

"I know." She smiled.

Gwen shifted to get herself comfy and closed her eyes as Owen's hand ran across her bump.

"Hello again." He whispered to the baby. "So, like I said, me and your mum got married today and we're currently staying in a hotel room before we head off tomorrow. We can't fly anywhere because it wouldn't be good for you but that's alright. As long as I'm with your mum, and you of course, I don't care where we go. Today has been the best day of my life." A small smile spread across Gwen's face as she started to drift off. "And the day you're born will be another one. Well, that's all I have to say tonight so goodnight my darling. Love you."

He kissed her bump and crawled back to lie beside her. As she snuggled into him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

The next morning, the new Mrs Harper stretched her left hand out in front of her and smiled at the wedding ring on her finger. She couldn't wait to start a family with Owen in their new home. Gwen wanted everything to be ready and perfect for when the baby arrived and she knew Owen would stop at nothing to make sure it was.

She started picturing various images of her and Owen smiling as they watched their child playing. As her mind continued to wander, arms wrapped around her and soft lips kissed her neck and shoulders. She smiled and leant back into his chest.

"Good morning Mrs Harper." Owen whispered.

"Good morning my love." Gwen smiled back.

"And how is my beautiful wife this morning?" He asked.

"Wonderful." Gwen answered. "Blissful, extremely happy." She rolled over to face him and gazed into his eyes. "How is my gorgeous husband?"

"Everything you said times a million." He replied. The way he gazed into her eyes made her heart flutter. He lowered his lips onto hers and kissed her in a way that took her breath away. "I love you."

"Love you too." She smiled.

Later that morning as they were preparing to leave, Owen's phone vibrated. Gwen stood still, her hand on her hip as she shot Owen a warning look.

"It's alright. It's just a text from Ianto to say he's dropped the car off and the key's in reception. Oh, and he sends his love." He told her.

"He is sweet." Gwen smiled.

"Sweeter than me?" Owen asked.

Gwen walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"No one's sweeter than you, my cherry pie." She smirked.

"Was that sarcasm? I believe that was sarcasm." He said.

"No." She giggled.

"It better not be." He warned.

"Or what?" She asked, pressing herself as close to him as possible. "What would you do?"

A low growl escaped his lips as he attacked her neck with his lips. She laughed as she removed her arms from around his waist and placed them around his neck. As he kissed her hungrily, he started to lead her back towards the bed, his hands gripping her hips tightly. A knock sounded on the door and Owen growled as he pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers and curled his fingers into her hips.

"What is it?" He called.

The door opened and Gwen saw the receptionist enter the room over Owen's shoulder.

"Oh – erm – I was told to ask if you'd be taking breakfast." The receptionist told them as she tried to divert her eyes.

Owen glanced at his watch and sighed.

"We don't really have the time." Gwen answered for him as she moved away from him.

"Gwen, you should have something to eat." Owen said.

"It's ok, we'll grab something on the way." Gwen shrugged. "We've got to get going. It's a good couple of hours drive and we don't want to be travelling too late."

"Sweetheart, you need to eat something. For the baby's sake." He told her. "Look, you go and eat while I take our cases out to the car. I'll meet you in the dining room."

"Ok." She nodded. "What do you want? I'll get your breakfast."

"Just a coffee please." He answered. Gwen folded her arms and looked at him. "I'll be alright, honest. Like you said, we can grab something later. I can wait until then."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes. Now, go on." He said and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll be with you in a minute."

"Ok." She smiled.

"Would you like me to give you a hand with these bags?" The receptionist asked Owen eagerly.

Owen glanced at Gwen then looked back at the receptionist.

"That would be wonderful thanks." Owen nodded.

Gwen grinned as Owen passed her a bag and was careful to flash his wedding ring.

Owen joined Gwen in the dining room a few moments later.

"I should have known." He chuckled as he sat down. "Pancakes."

She smiled innocently at him and shrugged.

"Couldn't resist." She told him. "They are delicious. Here, try some." Gwen cut him some off and lifted it to his lips on her fork. He smiled and rolled his eyes as he ate it. "What do you think?"

"Not bad." He shrugged.

"Good because this lot's for you. I already ate mine." She said. Owen's mouth opened and closed as he tried to protest but she shoved more pancake into his mouth. He laughed as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I have to feed you like a baby?"

He nodded causing her to laugh and shake her head at him. With each bite she gave him, she followed it with a sweet kiss. Soon the last bites of pancake went untouched as they kissed. Owen was grinning when they pulled away.

"Best pancakes ever." He laughed. "So, you ready to go now?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Should we get a map? I remember vaguely where the cottage is but I can't remember exactly."

"It's ok, your dad gave me directions." He told her. "Trust me, we'll be fine without it."

"Oh you've said those words before. Look what happened then." Gwen said and pointed to her baby bump.

"Yeah, well...that was different. We'll be fine, don't worry." He argued.

"You said that too." She sighed as she put on her jacket and followed him to the car.

Luckily, they managed to reach the cottage without getting lost. As soon as they were en route for it, it all started to come back to Gwen and she knew exactly where she was meant to be going. Though she hadn't been for years, hardly anything had changed and it was mostly as she remembered it.

Gwen told Owen about the little farm she used to help out on whenever she was at the cottage. The farmer's wife owned a stable nearby and she used to let Gwen ride the horses out in the fields they passed.

"I bet the only reason you helped out was because you wanted to stare at the stable boy." Owen joked. She remained silent and avoided looking at him by pretending to look out the window. "Oh really? And did anything ever happen between you two?"

"There might have been...one little kiss." She mumbled. "But it was years ago and it meant nothing. Don't suppose he'd remember it."

"I see. And...will I be meeting him?" Owen asked.

"I doubt it." Gwen answered. "He's probably moved away by now. Like I said, it was years ago. Then again, he did love that farm. Maybe he stayed, I hope he did." She watched Owen's hand flex on the steering wheel and his jaw tighten. She smirked and laughed. "Are you jealous?"

"No." Owen laughed hysterically. "Why would I be jealous about a kiss with some weedy kid that happened years ago?"

"Jake wasn't weedy." Gwen sighed. "When he took his shirt off, he had all the girls swooning." She could tell Owen was getting irritated and she couldn't help but giggle. "Owen, you don't need to be jealous. Trust me, you don't have to worry about him. He's gay."

"He's gay?" Owen frowned. "But you said you and he..."

"We did but it was just...one of those things. Me, Jake and few other kids were mucking out the stables together. We finished and we were sat having drinks, somehow me and Jake ended up alone and it was just...the only thing to do at the time." She explained. "We both agreed it didn't feel right and that it wasn't going to happen again and that was that. We stayed friends and just forgot it ever happened."

"Really?" Owen asked hopefully. Gwen nodded and she noticed how he seemed to cheer up considerably. "Gwen...whose body do you prefer?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Placing her hands on his thigh, she leant across the gap between the seats and ran her nose along his jaw.

"Definitely yours." She breathed. "Every time I'm near you, I just want to run my tongue all over you." Owen gulped as she ran her tongue over the area just behind his ear. She sat back in her chair and grinned at him. "Does that answer your question?"

He nodded silently, his eyes wide and when she glanced down at his lap, there was a familiar bulge there. Owen took deep breaths and tried to loosen his grip on the wheel as his knuckles were almost bursting through the skin. After a few moments, he seemed to calm down.

"Well, how about you show me this farm you like?" Owen suggested.

"Sorry, it'll have to be some other time." Gwen said. "I don't plan on leaving the cottage this week."

As soon as they arrived, Owen jumped out of the car and flew to Gwen's side. His lips crushed onto hers as he swept her off her feet and carried her inside. Gwen grinned into the kiss and returned it with as much passion and fire as she could muster.

A couple of weeks later, they moved into their new house and started preparing for the new arrival. Gwen left work on maternity leave and was enjoying the time off. The weeks surrounding Gwen's due date, Owen took off work so he could be there when the time came. The date, however, came and passed.

A week after the baby was supposed to arrive, Gwen was sat on the sofa with her feet propped up. She was uncomfortable and hot all the time and getting impatient. Owen was fussing around her and starting to get on her nerves. She told him to go back to work.

"Are you sure? I'll stay if you need me." Owen told her.

"I'll be fine. Go to work. I'll call you if anything happens." Gwen replied as she shifted to try and get comfy.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Owen, I look like a whale, my back is killing me, my feet are sore, I can't even see my feet so I'm pretty sure my socks don't match, and I'm roasting." She answered. "I'm not alright but until this baby decides to come, I'll just have to stick it."

"I'm staying home. You need me here, I can't leave you like this." Owen said.

"No, go to work. I promise you, I'll be fine." She insisted. "Besides, if you stay any longer fussing around me, I'll be forced to sit on you."

"I'm going." He laughed. "Make sure you call me if you need me and don't do any housework."

"Owen, this place is a mess and I can't just sit here doing nothing, I'll go crazy." She argued.

"Read a book or something. I don't want you straining yourself." Owen told her.

"Fine." She sighed. Gwen pulled him down for a kiss and smiled. "I'll see you later, love you."

"Love you too. See you later." He smiled and placed a kiss on her bump. "See you soon. Be good to your mum."

Gwen laughed as she watched him leave. She waited a few moments as she listened for his car pulling away before struggling to get on her feet and started to tidy up. She ran around with the hoover, giving each room a quick vacuum. Then she flicked a duster around and collected up all the rubbish.

As she was carrying the wash basket into the kitchen, she stopped and put it on the side and leant her head to the side.

"Bugger." She sighed.

She quickly grabbed her phone and bag and called for a taxi. Once it arrived, she climbed in the back and dialled Owen's number.

"Gwen, what is? What's happened?" He panicked when he answered the phone.

"Nothing, stop panicking. I'm in a taxi on the way to the hospital. The baby's decided it's time." She told him.

"Oh my God, are you ok? I'm on my way. Don't worry, just remember to breath." He said.

"Owen, I'm fine. It could be ages yet, I've only had one tiny contraction that I barely felt – oh...think that was another one." She replied. "Could have been indigestion."

"How can you be so calm?" He asked.

"Owen, it could take forever. My waters haven't even broke. When there's blood and pain, that's when I'll start to lose my cool." She said. "Hey listen, if you go past the house, could you grab me some pancakes?"

"What? No. I'm not going home. I'm coming straight to the hospital." He told her.

"Oh ok." She sighed. "I'll see you at the hospital then."

Owen was at the Hub, grabbing his jacket as he ended the call. He turned to his team mates and grinned.

"Gwen's having the baby." He told them and turned thoughtful. "My wife's having a baby. Oh my God, I'm having a baby. I'm going to be a dad. Wow...it's really happening, it's all real. I don't know if I can do it."

Jack took hold of his shoulders and smiled.

"You'll be fine. You'll be an amazing dad and if anyone can do this, you can. You and Gwen will be the best parents ever. Go to the hospital and celebrate your child's birth." Jack said.

Owen smiled and ran out of the Hub.

Gwen was surprised to find Owen already waiting for her when she arrived at the hospital. He took her bag and helped her inside even though she insisted she was fine. She was soon given a bed and Owen was fidgeting restlessly in the chair beside her.

"For God's sake Owen, calm down." Gwen sighed. "It's not a – whoah."

"What is it? Gwen, what's wrong?" Owen asked as he grabbed her hand.

"My waters broke...ok, now I'm not calm." She said.

"Ok babe, just breath. Relax, it's all going to be ok." He reassured her.

Gwen gripped his hand tightly and he saw fright in her eyes for the first time that night. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Almost twenty-four hours later, Gwen was squeezing Owen's hand extremely tight as she screamed at the top of her voice. He did his best to comfort her between each push.

"Owen, you do it for me." She pleaded. "Please, I can't do this."

"I can't sweetheart, I'm sorry." He replied. "I know it hurts but you're doing an amazing job, you can do this. Just think, at the end of this we'll have a beautiful baby and it'll all be worth it."

She smiled through her pain and pulled him into a kiss.

"Ok Mrs Harper, I need you to push again." The midwife told her.

Gwen shook her head and stared pleadingly at Owen.

"You can do it." He told her.

She nodded and braced herself as she began to push again. Owen hated seeing her in agony and her shouts of pain ripped through his heart.

"Alright, I can see the head." The midwife announced.

Owen moved so he could see and his face broke into a smile.

"That's...that's our baby's head. It's so...tiny and...wonderful." He smiled.

"It doesn't feel tiny." Gwen said through gritted teeth.

"One more big push." The midwife said.

"Come on babe, one more." Owen encouraged her. After a few deep breaths, Gwen clamped her eyes shut and pushed. "That's it darling. Oh, there's it's shoulders and...it's tiny little hands. It's – it's a girl." Owen felt tears of joy burning in his eyes as he looked down at his baby daughter. "Our baby girl."

"Let me see." Gwen mumbled as the midwife sorted her out. The baby's cries filled the room and Gwen's hand flew to her chest. "I want to see her." The baby was wrapped up in a thick blanket and Gwen took her eagerly from the nurse's arms. The cries turned to whimpers and she fell silent. "She's beautiful."

"Just like her mum." Owen whispered.

She laughed as they both smiled proudly down at their daughter.

"Do we have a name?" The nurse asked.

"Yes, it's Katie Harper." Gwen smiled.

"Katie Anwen Harper." Owen added.

Gwen grinned up at him and he caught her lips in a gentle kiss. It was Owen's suggestion to give the baby a Welsh name as it would be half Welsh. She'd told him they didn't have to but he wanted to.

When she turned back to the baby girl in her arms, she kissed her forehead and stroked a finger across her cheek.

"I love you." She whispered.

Katie's eyes opened slowly and a tear of happiness rolled down Gwen's cheek as their eyes met.

Owen held Katie as Gwen got some rest and like her mother, she was fast asleep. One of her tiny hands was clutched between his thumb and finger and he stroked the back of it with his thumb. There were no words strong enough to describe just how happy he was as he gazed at his baby girl. He'd imagined this scene so many times over the past couple of months but he could never have imagined the feeling he was experiencing now.

Katie started to stir and she screwed her face up as she started to cry. He gently rocked her and tried to calm her.

"Hey, it's ok. Daddy's here." He whispered. "Remember me? I was the one that spoke to you when you were inside your mum. It's alright sweetheart."

Gwen woke up and turned towards them, smiling as she watched him. The nurse entered the room and smiled.

"I think someone's hungry." She said. "Time for mummy to take over now." Owen passed Katie to Gwen who looked at the nurse nervously. "Don't worry, she'll know exactly what to do and it won't hurt. It's ok, you're not the first new mother to be worried about breast feeding her baby. I'll leave you to it and I'll be back in a few minutes to check on everyone."

Gwen waited until she was gone before she turned to Owen.

"It's not that I'm nervous about doing it, I just don't want some nurse hovering over me and telling me I'm doing it wrong." She told him. "I hate it when people do that." Katie let out a loud cry to remind them she was there and Gwen smiled down at her. "Alright sweetheart."

A few weeks later, Owen returned home from work to find the house in silence. He frowned as he walked through to find Gwen and Katie. When he reached the living room, he chuckled as he found Gwen sprawled out on the sofa fast asleep with Katie in her Moses basket beside her, also asleep. He went over to Katie and ran his finger across her cheek before he knelt down beside the sofa. As he cupped Gwen's face in his hand, he leant in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open before they closed again as she kissed him back.

"Hey sleepy head." He smiled.

"Hey." Gwen mumbled sleepily as she sat up. She leant over to check on Katie then stood up. "I don't know what happened then but I just remember putting Katie down after her feed and then...you woke me up. I'll pop the kettle on, tea or coffee?"

"Actually, I just came back to check on you both and to say...I'm going to be back later than I said." He told her.

"What? Owen, you said you'd come home early tonight to take over with Katie. I am absolutely knackered." Gwen sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry but there's a lot of stuff going on. It's mad." He replied.

"It's mad here." Gwen argued. "I'm trying to keep this house tidy and clean and to put food on the table when you get home but it's hard when I have to keep stopping every five minutes to take care of our daughter. There is no time off or breaks with being a parent. It's a huge responsibility."

"I know it is." Owen replied.

"No you don't. Ever since we brought Katie home, you haven't once changed a nappy or given her a bath. You haven't once done a late night feed. It's all left down to me." Gwen snapped.

"That's not true, I've given her a bottle." He said defensively.

"Once and that was only because I was busy trying to cook dinner." Gwen argued.

"Look, I'll ring Jack and I'll tell him I can't come in. You get some rest and I'll look after Katie." Owen said.

"No. Just...go, Owen. Go back to work." She replied. "You'll just get in the way while I'm running round trying to do everything."

"What do you want from me Gwen?" He demanded. "I offer to stay home and help you out but it's still not good enough. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to start acting like a dad." She shouted. "You said you wanted this baby and you promised to be the best dad there is but so far, you haven't kept up to that promise. Oh look Owen, it's that thing about breaking promises again. Funny how it all comes back to that again, isn't it?" The sound of her parents' raised voices woke Katie up from her sleep and she started to cry. "Great. Now I'll have to spend another hour trying to get her to sleep."

"I'll do it." Owen sighed.

"Oh you sound so enthusiastic about doing something for our daughter. Just go, Owen." Gwen snapped as she scooped Katie into her arms.

She turned her back on him as she started to comfort the baby and Owen growled in frustration. He stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

When he pulled up in his parking space at the Hub, he cut off the engine and held his face in his hands. Gwen was just tired, he knew that, but some of her comments had stung. Was he really falling back to his old ways? Was he being a bad husband? Was he a bad father?

These questions brought tears to his eyes and he couldn't help but let a few of them fall. His phone started to ring and he quickly answered it without checking the name.

"Gwen?" He asked.

"No it's Jack. Where the hell are you? We're on red alert here." Jack snapped.

"Alright, alright, I'm outside. For God's sake." Owen shouted. "You know, I do have a wife and a baby who I love and would actually like to see some time."

"You and Gwen have a fight?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." He sighed. "She said I was going back to my old ways, spending more time at work than I do at home and she said I was..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't want to admit that he was a bad parent. "Anyway, I'm back now."

"Owen." Jack replied. "Maybe you should -"

"I'll get on with that autopsy on the body we found." Owen interrupted, not wishing to talk about his personal problems with Jack. He ended the call and looked at his phone, debating to call Gwen or not. Before he could stop himself, he pulled up her number and pressed call. It rang for a while then went straight to voice mail so he left a message instead. "Gwen, I'm sorry. I really am and I know I've said it so many times in the past but I will change. I will be there for you whenever you need me. I promise to help out more and to always make time for you and Katie. This time I mean it. I love you both so much, I don't want to lose you. Please Gwen...call me back. We can work this out. I love you."

After leaving his message, he put his phone away and headed into the Hub.

Back at the house, Gwen heard her phone ring as she sat cradling Katie in her arms. She picked it up off the table and saw Owen's name on the screen. After a few seconds, she placed the phone back on the table with the screen facing down and looked down at Katie. Her daughter stared back as she chewed on her fingers.

"If your dad has something to say, he can say it in person." Gwen said simply. "Anyway, how about we run you a nice bath?" While Gwen prepared the baby bath, she lay Katie down on her play mat. Once she'd finished, Gwen went over to Katie and waved her fingers, smiling as her daughter stared up at them in fascination. "Come on darling, let's get you all nice and clean."

While Gwen was bathing Katie, the handle on the front door downstairs slowly started to turn. The door opened slowly and a figure stepped inside.

Owen threw down his surgical tools and breathed a sigh of relief as he finished his autopsy. Though he'd tried to concentrate, his mind was still replaying what Gwen had said to him and the questions he'd asked himself. Throughout the autopsy he'd checked his phone every few minutes to see if Gwen had replied to his message but each time he saw nothing to say she had.

He gladly shuffled out of the autopsy bay and over to his workstation.

"Anything happening?" He asked Tosh.

"I'm still looking for any signs of him but so far, I've found nothing." She answered.

A few days ago, Jack had been contacted by an old friend of his who had named himself John Hart. He'd asked Jack for help to find something but the Captain had refused wanting nothing to do with his dodgy ways. Before John departed, he gave Jack a warning. He said that if Jack didn't help him find it, he'd tear his world apart.

However, a few days later, there had been no sign of him but Jack kept the team on red alert. He knew John was not a man that gave up easily and he knew how to play games. Ever since John had appeared, the Captain had been tense and kept himself locked away in his office where the team could see him pacing up and down through the windows.

"Wait, I've got something." Tosh said. Jack instantly ran out of his office and stood behind her. "There was a slight rift disturbance a few seconds ago. Pinpointing an exact location...now."

When Owen looked over at Tosh's monitor, his blood ran cold and the colour drained from his face.

"That's my house. The bastard knows where I live. My wife and baby are in there." Owen shouted. "If he hurts them, I'll kill him."

Owen turned and ran out of the rolling door and the Captain followed quickly. By the time Jack had reached the car park, Owen was already speeding off in his car. Jack changed direction and headed to the SUV.

Gwen was just finishing with Katie when she heard footsteps downstairs. She frowned slightly and pulled Katie out of the bath, wrapping her in a warm, fluffy towel. Gwen edged her way to the stairs, the baby in her arms, and listened hard.

"Owen?" She called. There was no answer and Gwen knew instantly that something was wrong. She took Katie into her and Owen's bedroom and lay her on the bed. "Now, you stay there and try and be quiet for mummy. I promise I will keep you safe and I will not let anyone hurt you." She slipped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her. As she crept down the stairs, she heard someone walking around in the living room. If she was lucky, she could sneak past and into the kitchen to grab something to arm herself with. She hurried past the living room door just as the figure stepped out. Gwen screamed and pressed herself against the wall opposite. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?"

"I am John Hart and you -" His hand moved to his waistband and when he brought it back around, he was holding a gun towards her. "Are my leverage."

"What are you talking about?" Gwen demanded.

"I'm looking for something and your boyfriend and his colleagues refused to help me find it. I don't like that." He told her. "You see, I borrowed it from...a friend and I may have...lost it. I have to get it back or I'm in trouble and Captain Jack and his little team _will_ help me find it...or I kill you."

Gwen tried to make a run for the kitchen but John grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.

"Get off me." She spat and struggled to pull out of his grasp.

John pressed his gun to the back of her head and she started to sob.

"Don't struggle or I'll shoot." He whispered into her ear. Gwen tried to scream but he clamped his hand over her mouth. He had no choice but to put his gun in his belt to hold her arms tightly in one hand and keep the other over her mouth. "Try and scream and I'll snap you like a twig." Gwen wanted to vomit as she felt his breath on her neck and he even dared to run his lips over it. Tears streamed down her face as John pushed her roughly into the kitchen. He grabbed some rope and tied her hands behind her back and bound her feet together. The rope was tied tightly and it was cutting into her skin. The more she struggled, the tighter it got. John pushed her to the floor and all she could do was try and angle herself as she fell so she didn't hit her head. "Now, I believe there's a baby too."

As if on cue, a cry sounded from upstairs and Gwen stared in anguish at the ceiling.

"Don't you touch her." Gwen screamed as he smirked and started to leave the room. John raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her. "Please...don't hurt her. Leave her alone...she's just a baby." John left the kitchen without a word and she heard him walk upstairs. She fought to get out of her bonds, ignoring the pain as she bellowed up to him. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her."

John returned minutes later with Katie in his arms and still in her towel.

"Pretty little thing." John said and knelt down in front of Gwen. "Just like her mother."

He reached out to run a hand over her cheek and down her neck. She pulled herself out of his reach as best she could as he went to move his hand lower. He chuckled and stood up, turning his back on her as he bounced Katie in his arms.

Katie continued to cry and John was becoming irritated. He grabbed a knife and Gwen screamed as she feared he was going to hurt her.

"No!" She screamed.

Instead he knelt back down near Gwen and cut open the ropes binding her. He grabbed Gwen's shoulder and pulled her up before dragging her over to a chair. He shoved her into it and gave Katie to her.

"Shut her up." John said.

Gwen glared at him as she tried to comfort her child. He pulled his gun out and Gwen knew he'd shoot her within seconds of trying to escape. She was trapped and all she could do now was protect her daughter.

"She's cold. She needs clothes." Gwen told him through gritted teeth. John sighed and looked around the kitchen. He spotted a baby grow in the wash basket and threw it to Gwen. "Something clean. I need to get her something clean."

"Fine." John said. He gestured for her to move with his gun and she started to carry Katie out of the room. He followed closely behind, keeping his gun pointed at her back. "Just in case you try anything."

Gwen said nothing as she walked upstairs and into the nursery. When John followed her in, she turned to glare at him.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't watch me dress my daughter." She said. John shrugged and turned his back to them. "I'm not going to try jumping out of the window with my baby if you leave the room. I'll be five minutes tops."

John stared at her before leaving the room.

Once Gwen had finished, he pointed his gun at her and motioned with his head.

"Back to the kitchen." He ordered.

Gwen was trembling as she held little Katie but she wouldn't let him see how scared she was. She held her head high and tried to walk with confidence back to the kitchen. He ordered her to sit in the chair again and he stood in the middle of the room.

"What happens now?" Gwen asked.

"Now we wait." He replied. A few minutes later, Katie started to cry again and he rolled his eyes. "What's wrong now?"

"She's hungry." Gwen answered. "If you don't mind giving me a few minutes."

"Oh no. I'm not leaving you in here with all these sharp instruments around." He laughed.

"I need to feed my daughter and I haven't had time to prepare a bottle." She growled.

"Be my guest." John smirked. Gwen stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging and turning her chair away from him. They soon heard the squeal of brakes outside and John chuckled. "Here we go."

He stood behind Gwen with his gun trained on her head. The front door burst open and someone ran in.

"Gwen?" Owen's voice shouted frantically. "Gwen where are you?" He burst into the kitchen and froze when he saw his wife and daughter being held at gunpoint by John. "Get away from them. Don't you dare hurt them." He started forward but John cocked his gun causing Gwen to flinch and yelp. Owen stopped in his tracks and his eyes met Gwen's. "Has he hurt you? Has he hurt Katie?"

"No, we're fine." She told him, her voice shaking.

"Let them go." Owen said. "They have nothing to do with this. Please, just let my family go and we will help you."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" John laughed. "Find the device and I'll let them go."

Jack suddenly came rushing in and he stopped by Owen's side as he took in the scene in front of him.

"Taking hostages now, John? Have you really stooped that low?" Jack asked. "Wow, you _must_ be in trouble."

"Just shut up and find the damn thing." John replied.

"Not if you're going to point a gun at a woman and a baby." Jack said. "You're a coward, John. Picking on the defenceless and the vulnerable. Time was you'd fight anyone and anything but now you've met someone bigger than you. You're weak." John gritted his teeth and his grip on his gun tightened. "You're scared...you're not the big man any more."

He grabbed Gwen's hair and pulled her head back as he pressed his gun to her temple. She shook with fright and sobbed silently, her eyes locked with Owen's.

"Jack, we've got to find it. We have to do as he says." Owen said. "I can't let him hurt my family. If we do as he says, no one gets hurt and he can piss off back to whatever hole he crawled out of."

"Listen to him Jack." John said. "Just give me what I want and I'll leave. No one has to get hurt."

"How can I trust you?" Jack demanded. "How can I be sure you won't hurt them anyway and that you won't come back?"

"Because I give you my word." He answered.

"That's the thing about con men, you can't tell if they're bluffing." Jack replied.

"You would know." John said.

"Fine, we'll help you find it but you have to let Gwen and Katie go first." Jack told him.

"No deal. I let them go _after_ you find it. That way I know there won't be any tricks along the way." He replied. "So, you and your little team scurry off and find my device while I stay here and play happy families."

John let go of Gwen and smiled at Jack and Owen. Owen stepped forward to go to Gwen but John held his gun at Owen and shook his head.

"Please, just give me a minute with my wife and daughter." Owen begged.

John thought about it before shrugging and lowering his gun. Owen ran over to Gwen and knelt down in front of her, holding her face in his hands as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Owen, I'm sorry." Gwen sobbed. "I didn't mean...you're not -"

"Sh." He whispered. "Don't think about that now, ok. I'll be back soon with the device and I will see that you and Katie are safe. I love you both, more than anything in this galaxy and the next put together."

He caught her lips in a desperate kiss and she responded with twice the force.

"I love you." She whispered.

Owen ran his thumb across her cheek before he received a gun in his face.

"Time's up." John said.

Owen glared at him before looking down at Katie and kissing her forehead. He stood up and turned to face Jack.

"Let's go." He said.

Jack and Owen left the house quickly and Gwen stared after them. She didn't acknowledge John as he walked slowly around her chair. He stood behind her and leant in to whisper in her ear.

"So what shall we do while we wait?" He breathed. Gwen turned her face away and ignored him causing him to chuckle. "Silent treatment is it?" She refused to acknowledge him and continued to look down at Katie. She could tell by her whimpers and her fidgeting that she was tired. As she stood up to take her to bed, John quickly stood in her way. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To take my daughter to bed. It's past her bedtime and she's tired." Gwen answered.

John considered it for a few moments before he let her past.

"I trust you'll not try anything stupid and to do exactly as I say." He said.

"What choice do I have?" Gwen demanded. "I will not let you hurt my baby." She hurried off and took Katie to her room. Once she'd tucked her daughter into her cot, Gwen stood over her and watched her. She reached in and gently stroked her cheek until she drifted off. "Daddy will be back soon and he will get us out of this. But in the meantime, I will keep you safe sweetheart. I always will."

When she went back downstairs, she found John waiting for her at the bottom and she rolled her eyes.

"Thought we'd go somewhere more comfortable while we wait for Romeo to come back." He told her. "Let's get comfy in the living room shall we?"

Owen and Jack entered the Hub and ran over to the workstations.

"So what is it we're looking for exactly?" Owen asked as Jack told Tosh to bring up areal footage of the bay.

"It's a small gun kind of like the Dalek's laser beam. Con men like John tried to build themselves replicas. They're deadly but the only problem is they overheat after so many uses. If it explodes, it could blow up a whole city. But even before that, the laser could wipe out an entire race." The Captain explained.

"And you want to give back this weapon to a man like John?" Tosh asked.

"It's the gun or my family." Owen answered. "Right now, I couldn't care less what John is planning to do with it as long as my family are safe."

"Oh I don't think he'll be using it. I think as soon as we give it him back, he'll be returning it to whoever he 'borrowed' it from." Jack said. "The question is, what will they do when they get it back?"

"Can we focus on that later?" Owen asked hurriedly.

"How are we meant to find this gun?" Tosh frowned. "It could be anywhere."

"Run a scan for any rift activity and cross-reference it with any unusual heat signals. If that thing's been fired in the past couple of days, it should still be pretty hot. Like I said, they overheat." Jack instructed. "Also keep a look out on police records, see if there have been any weapons handed in that may be out of the ordinary."

"Gwen would know...if she weren't being held at gun point." Owen mumbled. He sloped off to sit on the steps leading down to the autopsy bay while Tosh scanned the area. Jack followed him and sat silently beside him. The younger man stared into space as he played with his wedding ring. "It's my fault. I brought Gwen and Katie into all this and now they're in danger because of me. If I hadn't met Gwen she could have found someone else. Someone who could take care of her properly. Someone who wouldn't screw up and who'd worship her as much as I do, maybe more. She'd never be mixed up in all this and Katie...maybe she'd have a different dad...they'd both be safe. They're both better off without me."

"That's not true." Jack said. "Gwen loves you, Katie too. When you told Gwen about Torchwood and she saw how dangerous this job was, not just for you but for her too, she could have run. She could have turned her back on you and said she didn't want to be a part of it. But she chose to stand by you and to fight for this relationship. Look how far you've both come. The way you talk about Gwen and Katie, I see so much love in your eyes and I know there is nothing you won't do to keep them both safe. That's what they need, someone who can protect them and who loves them more than anything in this world. That someone...is you."

"Great job I've done of protecting them so far." Owen mumbled. "I've tried so hard to keep work and family life separate but it's just so...difficult."

"I know it's hard." Jack replied.

"Do you?" Owen laughed bitterly.

"Yes." He answered. There was a moment of silence between them before Jack decided to confide in Owen. "Owen, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's something I've never told anyone before. I have a family. I've got a daughter, who's about your age, and a grandson. I don't get to see them very often and my daughter...she doesn't want to know. When she was growing up, I let my job take over and eventually my family grew to resent me and I lost them." Jack told him. "Every day I think about them and it kills me. I know how it feels to lose the people you love because of all this. But I know you're not going to let that happen and I know you're not going to let anything hurt them."

"Of course I won't." Owen said. "I'll always look after them."

"Exactly and you're going to start by getting rid of these stupid thoughts. Gwen loves you no matter what. Do you think it'll make her happy if you just left because you thought it'd make her life easier? Do you want Katie wondering why her daddy left?" Jack asked him. Owen shook his head and looked away. "Well then, they're not better off. Stuff like this...it's not your fault. It happens in the everyday world, no matter what job you have – in a slightly less...deadly way – but it still happens. All you can do is be the hero that saves them at the end of the day and every time you're willing to risk your life for them, they'll know you care." Owen gave him a small smile and the Captain clapped him on the back. "Come on, buddy."

He stood up and held his hand out to Owen. Owen looked down at his wedding ring then nodded. He accepted Jack's hand and stood up.

"Jack...can you do something for me?" He asked. "If anything ever happens to me -"

"I won't let it." Jack interrupted.

"You can't stop everything." Owen said. "Look, if anything happens to me, promise me you'll look after Gwen and Katie."

"I promise." Jack nodded. "But I also promise that I won't let anything happen."

"Jack, I think I've found something." Tosh called. Jack and Owen ran to her side and she pointed to a little red dot on the map on her computer screen. "It's in a field just off the A fourty-eight. Strange heat signal but there's nothing around it to create that kind of heat and there was a rift flare in that area a few days ago."

"Good work Tosh. Ok Owen, let's go." The Captain nodded but he didn't have to tell Owen, he was already halfway out the door.

Gwen was sat on the sofa, as far away from John as she possibly could. He'd made himself comfortable and put his feet up on the coffee table as he'd switched on the television. She wasn't focusing on it though. Her head was turned as if she was watching it but she was staring out of the corner of her eye at the gun at his side, one of his hands resting on it so he could grab it quickly.

His fingers suddenly drummed against it and she glanced up at his face to see him smirking at her as he watched her. He reached over for the remote and turned the television off.

"I'm bored." He said, folding his arms across his chest. "Entertain me."

"How?" Gwen asked through gritted teeth.

"I don't know." John shrugged. "How would you entertain the boyfriend?"

"He's my husband." She corrected coldly.

"Whatever. We're playing happy families so entertain me the way you would your 'husband'." John smirked.

Gwen leant in closer to him so they were nose to nose and she stared into his eyes.

"Dream on." She said and pulled away quickly.

John rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm. She struggled to get out of his grip as he leant his face into hers. His other hand brought up his gun to stroke it across her cheek.

"I could make you." He whispered. "I could force you into doing it." Gwen recoiled away from him as his breath blew across her face. "But I'm feeling generous so I'll let you off this time."

"You're disgusting." Gwen spat and ripped her arm out if his grasp.

She stood up quickly and went to leave but John jumped off the sofa and stopped her.

"Where are you going now?" He asked.

"To check on my daughter." She replied curtly.

She left without another word. Gwen didn't need to check on Katie but she had to get away from John. The way he looked at her, some of the things he said and the way he touched her made her skin crawl and she wanted to be sick. She'd never met him before but she had no doubts that he'd hurt people before, maybe even killed them. She wondered if she stayed up there too long, would he come looking for her or would he just leave her?

Gwen went to the kitchen and made up a bottle just in case before heading upstairs. She entered Katie's room as silently as she could so as not to wake her. Sitting in the chair beside her cot, she reached in between the bars and gently took hold of one of Katie's hands. As she ran her thumb across the back of it, Katie began to stir and Gwen shushed her softly until she was fast asleep.

A few moments later, she heard her phone ring and John answer it. She heard his footsteps coming up the stairs and Katie's door opened. John stepped inside and held the phone out to her.

"It's the husband. He said he's found the gun and they're on the way back. I told him you were ok but he won't take my word for it, don't know why. He wants to speak to you." He explained.

Gwen snatched her phone from him and held it to her ear.

"Gwen? Are you alright? Is Katie ok?" Owen demanded.

"We're fine, I promise." She told him. "Is it true? Have you found it?"

"Yeah, we've got it. Gwen, I'm coming home and I am going to get you out of this. I will stop at nothing to have you and Katie safe in my arms." He replied.

"We love you so much." She said. "Hurry back, ok?"

"I will." He promised. "I love you both too. I'll see you very soon, sweetheart. If John lays a finger on either of you, I'll kill him."

He ended the call and Gwen smiled a small smile as she lowered her phone and stared down at it in her lap. She looked at Katie and ran her fingers across her cheek.

"Daddy's coming." Gwen whispered.

It wasn't long before Gwen heard the squeal of tires outside and her and John went speeding down the stairs. They reached the bottom just as Owen burst through the door, his arms full of gun. He spotted Gwen without Katie and he looked around frantically.

"Where's Katie?" He asked.

"She's ok, she's upstairs asleep." Gwen reassured him.

Owen nodded and turned to glare at John.

"Take it and get out." Owen growled as he shoved the gun into John's chest. "And if you ever come near my family again, I'll make your life hell before I end it."

While John watched Owen in amusement, he was momentarily distracted and Gwen lunged for the gun at his side. She grabbed it and turned it on him.

"No one threatens my daughter and gets away with it." She said through gritted teeth.

"Are you forgetting what I'm holding?" John laughed.

Jack walked in and stood beside Owen, a grin on his face.

"Try it. Go on, I dare you." Jack challenged. John's composure slipped and he quickly tried the weapon. It clicked a few times then sparked and went dead. He stared down at it in shock and around at the others. Jack and Owen whipped out their guns and aimed them at John. "No one could ever re-create the technology of the Daleks. Tosh scrambled it from the Hub. Now, I think you'd better leave. Oh, and erm...I think you should get as far away from here as possible. You see I may have found the owner and told him you broke his toy. Didn't sound too happy to me. So run, John. Run...fast."

John screamed with rage as he pressed the buttons on his wrist strap and disappeared. Jack glanced between Owen and Gwen and left to give them privacy.

Gwen was frozen to the spot, her eyes wide as she stared at the space John had vacated and the gun still pointed straight at it. She was trembling with the fright she'd kept bottled up. Owen holstered his gun and stepped towards her as the gun slipped through her fingers. His arms snaked around her and pulled her close. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest as she let a few tears fall.

"Hey, hey, it's ok." Owen whispered. "You're safe now."

He held her until she stopped shaking and she pulled away, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Owen, I'm sorry." She told him. "What I said about you not being a dad to Katie, I didn't mean it. I was just tired and I snapped, I shouldn't have said it. You're an amazing dad and Katie is so lucky to have a dad that cares for her so much and would do anything for her. What I said wasn't true and I am so sorry."

"No, you were right. I have been spending too much time at work and not enough here and I haven't been helping out with Katie like I should have." He replied. "And this time when I say it, I swear I mean it. I promise you that I will be home a lot more and I will be a proper dad to Katie. I don't want my daughter growing up and thinking she can't come to me for anything because I was never around when she needed something in the past."

Gwen smiled and pulled him into a hug. She caught his lips in a sweet kiss as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"How about an early night?" She suggested.

Owen grinned and wriggled his eyebrows as she took his hand in hers and started to lead him up the stairs. When they reached their bedroom door, Owen let go and motioned for her to go in.

"I'll be with you in a minute, I just want to say goodnight to Katie." He told her. She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips before disappearing into the bedroom. Owen slipped into Katie's room and stood beside her cot. He smiled as he watched her sleeping soundly, her little fists bunched up by her head. "Hey baby girl." He whispered. "Daddy's home. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I almost got you hurt today. I never meant for that to happen. I haven't been around as much as I should have and I apologise for that. Daddy will make more of an effort to be here with you and with mummy. I love you, sweetheart." He leant in and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight."

He left the room and entered his and Gwen's bedroom. His eyes fell on Gwen who was smiling seductively at him as she clutched the duvet to her chin. She looked down at the floor and nodded her head slightly to where she was staring. Owen followed her gaze and saw the pile of clothes Gwen had been wearing.

"Thought I might speed things up a bit." She breathed.

Owen laughed as he quickly shed his clothes and dived onto the bed beside her. He pulled the duvet away from her as he shifted his body over hers and licked his lips.

A while later, they lay tangled up in each other's limbs. They held each other tight as they lay in silence with content smiles on their faces. Gwen smiled up at Owen and he leant in to capture her lips in a loving kiss.

Suddenly, Katie's cries blared out of the baby monitor and Gwen sighed as she started to untangle herself from Owen. He tightened his grip on her and pulled her to lie back down.

"You stay here." He said. "I'll see to Katie." She smiled as he kissed her one last time. "Try and get to sleep and don't worry about getting up tomorrow. I'm taking the whole day off to look after you both and I swear I'll continue to help out more in the future." Owen left the bed, pulling on his boxers as he did, and Gwen sighed happily as she shuffled over to his side. She took a deep breath to breath in his scent and closed her eyes. She heard him enter the nursery over the baby monitor and talk to Katie. With a curious smile, she leant up on her elbow to listen in. "Good evening my lady. My name is Daddy and I will be your personal waiter tonight. May I suggest this delicious bottle of milk?" Katie's cries stopped as Gwen guessed Owen was feeding her. She could see him in her mind holding their daughter and smiling proudly like he had done the day she was born. "Tonight's meal has been prepared by head chef, Mummy. Not sure whether it's the formula kind or the...freshly squeezed. If I were you, I'd go for the second kind. Don't tell your mum but I am loving what having a baby has done to her assets."

"Oi! I can hear you over the baby monitor." Gwen laughed.

There were a few moments of silence over the monitor where she could picture him trying to think his way out of it.

"Eavesdropping is rude." He told her. "Isn't that right, Katie?"

"Hey, she'll stick up for me." Gwen replied. "Us girls have to stick together."

"Oh great, I'm being ganged up on in my own home." He sighed. "Anyway, she won't stick up for you because she's fast asleep now." She heard rustling as he lay Katie back in her cot and tucked her in. "Goodnight princess. I love you."

Owen leant in to kiss Katie on her forehead and ran his thumb over her cheek. Her chubby little face was lost in his hand and he couldn't help but smile.

When he went back into his and Gwen's room, she held out her hand and smiled.

"Come here." She said. She pulled him down onto the bed and captured his lips in a tender kiss. "I love you."

"Love you more." He replied as he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled into him and he kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, my darling." Gwen sighed contentedly.

They both drifted off to the sound of the others gentle breaths and their arms wrapped around each other like comforting blankets.

Owen's eyes slowly opened the next morning and he found Gwen sitting up beside him, running her hand through his hair.

"How come you're awake?" He asked sleepily. "I promised I'd look after you and Katie today. You could have had a lie in. I was going to bring you breakfast in bed and everything."

"No, my body's used to getting up early now. I can't remember the last time I had a lie in." She sighed. "You can get me breakfast though." He chuckled into his pillow before shifting closer to her and laying his head in her lap. His eyes closed as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. "Owen...I am sorry, about what I said. I honestly did not mean a word of it. You're amazing with Katie. Look at last night."

"Gwen, it's alright." Owen said as he sat up slightly. "You don't need to keep apologising, it's fine."

"I just feel so guilty for saying it though." She argued.

"Look, it's ok." He repeated and lifted his hand to cup her face. "I promise." She smiled and kissed him then he lay back down in her lap. Owen closed his eyes again as she resumed her fingers through his hair. "I love it when you do that. It sends me all tingly." Gwen giggled and smiled fondly at him. Katie started to cry and Gwen moved to see to her. "Aren't you forgetting what I said?" Owen got up and left the room before she had time to protest. She reached for her robe and pulled it on. He returned a few moments later with Katie in his arms, whimpering quietly as she looked up at him. "Let's say good morning to mummy."

He sat down beside Gwen and passed Katie to her.

"Morning angel." She smiled. "I must say, you did sleep well last night. Only woke up once during the night and you had a lie in. Wish I could have slept in."

Owen put his arm around Gwen and held one of Katie's tiny hands in his free one.

"What do you think about having more?" Owen asked curiously.

"More children? Not right now, I hope." She laughed. "But maybe...when Katie's a little older...what do you think about having another baby?"

"Well...I think we should." He answered. "It'd be good for Katie to have a little brother or sister." Gwen nodded in agreement as they both looked down at their daughter. "And there are no words to describe the feeling you experience when you hold your new born baby for the first time. It's just...bloody amazing."

"I know what you mean but we're not having fifteen kids just so you can feel like that." She grinned.

"No." He chuckled. "But it would be nice to have one more, maybe two. Obviously when Katie's a few years older."

"You're serious." Gwen said. "You really want this?"

"Of course I do. I want to have everything with you." He told her.

Gwen looked into his eyes before her lips crashed onto his. The arm around her tightened as he kissed her back hungrily.

"I bloody love you. I knew there was a good reason I married you." She laughed. He smiled and turned his gaze to Katie. Letting go of her hand, he wriggled his fingers at her and she watched, mesmerised. "She is fascinated by fingers." Gwen told him. "She could watch them for hours." Owen wriggled his fingers then tickled Katie under her chin. The corner of her mouth twitched and he repeated the gesture. She smiled and her parents both grinned back. "Her first smile."

"I have never seen such a beautiful, toothless smile." Owen said.

"She's gorgeous." Gwen replied. "Aren't you sweetheart? You'll break a few hearts when you're older." She kissed Katie's forehead and rubbed her nose against hers. Gwen wrinkled her nose as she breathed in a bad smell. "But not with that dirty nappy. Time to get you cleaned up."

She looked at Owen expectantly and he stared back.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, you said you'd look after us both today." She reminded him.

"I did, didn't I." He said as if he regretted it. "Alright, I'll do it. Come to daddy." He took Katie from Gwen and went back into the nursery. A few moments later, his voice floated through to her over the baby monitor. "Ok, the nappy's off and it's pretty disgusting. What do I do now? Take her into the bathroom and hose her down?"

"No, you use the baby wipes." Gwen sighed. "Hang on, I'm coming." She padded into the nursery and over to the changing table, pushing Owen aside. "Look, this is how you change a nappy." Gwen quickly and expertly placed a clean nappy on Katie and smiled down at her. "Men."

"Right, well, you seem to know what you're doing here so I think you should take care of this particular area." Owen said.

"Nice try Owen." She laughed. "You said you wanted to do this so you will do it. Unless, of course, you don't think you can handle it."

"I never said that." He mumbled. "I can handle it. Looking after a baby, how hard can it be?"

Gwen snorted and shook her head at him.

"I bet you can't last one day looking after Katie _and_ do all the housework without any help." Gwen said.

"You're on." Owen nodded. He scooped Katie into his arms and rubbed her back. "We'll be fine, won't we Katie?"

"Right. Well, I'll have a shower and then I'm going into town to do some shopping." She said. "If you're not tearing your hair out by the time I get back, I'll know you've had help."

After she'd showered and dressed, Gwen was reluctant to leave. Owen was already in a flap, running around the house with a tea-towel over his shoulder, a bottle in one hand and a clean nappy in the other. Katie was lying in her Moses basket, legs and fists waving in the air as she cried.

"It's alright, I can handle this. You go out, get a break." Owen told her, though his voice didn't sound sure.

"Owen, I can stay in if you want me to." She said.

"No, it's fine. We'll be fine." He reassured her. "Go and have some time to yourself for once. I don't know, go to one of those spas and relax. You deserve it."

"Well...alright." She sighed. She kissed Katie's forehead then turned to pull him into a loving kiss. "If you need me, call me. I'll come back as quick as I can. See you soon. I love you both."

"We love you too." Owen replied. "Now go on, go. Before I escort you from the premises." She smiled and kissed him one last time before grabbing her bag and leaving. Owen turned to Katie. "Alright Katie, here's the deal, you help me out here and try to be good for daddy and I'll get you all the sweets you want when you're older. How does that sound?" Katie's cries grew more impatient and he sighed. "Didn't think it would work."

Only a few hours had passed and Owen was already wanting to tear his hair out. Every time he tried to get something done, Katie demanded his attention or something else cropped up that needed doing first or the phone would ring. He understood why Gwen was so exhausted all the time. It felt like everyone and everything wanted his attention all the time and he was running backwards and forwards between it all. Owen had only had a couple of hours insight into what it was like, Gwen was doing it twenty-four-seven. He immediately felt guilty and vowed to help out more.

He was ready to give up, ready to call Gwen and admit defeat but he didn't want her to think he couldn't do it or be disappointed. But he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. Before he knew it, his phone was in his hand and he'd dialled the one person he thought might be able to help.

"Owen, hey." Tosh's voice greeted him.

"Hey Tosh. Listen, I need you to do me a really big favour." He told her. Owen closed his eyes and sighed in defeat. "I need you to come over and help me take care of Katie."

"Sure. Where's Gwen?" She asked.

"She went out to get a break and like a twat, I said looking after a baby and the house was easy and that basically, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. But I can't do it Tosh. There's just so much more to this than I realised and I can't do it on my own. I know it sounds awful me asking for help when Gwen does this day in day out without one complaint. I just...I need help." He admitted.

"It's ok, I'm on my way." She told him.

"Thanks Tosh, you're a star." Owen said. "Oh, please don't tell Gwen about this."

"I won't if you don't want me to." She replied.

Owen hung up and waited anxiously for her to arrive. He was relieved when she knocked on the door a few minutes later.

"Thank you so much for doing this, I owe you one." He said as he let her in. "Katie's due for her nap so I'll get her settled. Could you do me a really big favour and run the hoover around the living room?"

Tosh nodded and Owen smiled before he left quickly to take Katie for her nap.

With Tosh helping out, Owen felt a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders and he was less stressed. He could see to Katie while Tosh did bits around the house. When Katie was quiet and happily entertaining herself, Owen would join Tosh. They got things done in less than no time.

Tosh started to leave as the afternoon turned into the evening.

"If you need anything else doing, I don't mind staying longer." She told him.

"No, we'll be alright now. Everything's done so I can concentrate on Katie now. Besides, Gwen should be back soon." He replied with Katie hugged to his chest.

"Alright, see you soon." She smiled and left the house.

Gwen wanted to relax but for the whole day, she just kept worrying about Owen and Katie. She barely managed herself so how Owen would manage, she wasn't sure. After worrying for long enough, she climbed into her car and drove home.

As she neared the house, she saw Tosh's car drive past her and she smiled and shook her head.

She let herself into the house and found it quiet and clean. Owen was sat on the sofa with Katie sitting in his lap propped up by his arm.

"See, told you we'd manage." Owen said as she sat next to them.

Gwen leant in to kiss him and grinned.

"Liar." She laughed. "I saw Tosh leave."

"She...just came to visit." He lied.

"Oh really?" Gwen asked. "Look Owen, if you needed help, why didn't you just call me and I would have come home."

Owen looked away and sighed.

"I didn't want you to think I was a failure." He mumbled.

"Owen." Gwen sighed. She put her finger under his chin and turned his head to face her. "I don't think you're a failure at all. I know how hard it is to take care of a baby and get everything else done. Sometimes – in fact, most of the time – I feel like I can't do it. But that was because I was alone. Now, without sounding horrible, you know how it felt but it doesn't have to be like that. We can do this together and we'll be fine."

"Yeah, we will." He nodded and smiled.

She gave him a quick kiss then turned to grab one of the shopping bags she'd brought back with her.

"I have to show you something, I saw it in the baby section and I just had to get it." She grinned. She pulled out a tiny t-shirt from the bag and held it up. It was pale blue with pink writing that said 'Daddy's Little Angel'. It had a halo above the 'A' and printed on the back of the shirt were a pair of angel wings. "How cute is that?"

"Very and so true." Owen smiled as he turned his gaze to Katie. He wriggled his fingers under her chin to make her smile. "She agrees." As Owen continued to wriggle his fingers, Katie's tiny hands opened and closed as if to copy him. He smiled fondly at their daughter and sighed in contentment. "And daddy loves his angel very much." Gwen sat back and watched him with her. She smiled at the way he was around Katie, relaxed – most of the time, not always – free and fun, like the Owen she'd met years ago. No matter what Owen thought, Gwen knew he was an amazing dad and she couldn't think of any other man who would love them both and care for them both as much as he did. Owen looked up and caught her smiling. "What?"

"Nothing. Just watching my two angels." She smiled.

"Well, this angel's got to pee." He said. "Grab Katie for me."

Gwen held her arms out as Owen passed her over.

"Hey sweetheart, come to mummy. Let's have a cuddle hey? I've missed you today, hardly seen you." Gwen said as she hugged Katie to her chest and gently bounced her. Owen left for the bathroom as Gwen placed kisses on Katie's cheeks and nose. "Did you enjoy your day with daddy?"

When Owen returned, the three of them cuddled up on the sofa. After a couple of hours, it was time for Katie's last feed before bed. Owen fed her while Gwen went to put away Katie's new t-shirt and a few other things she'd bought. He joined Gwen in Katie's room a few minutes later. Gwen pulled the blankets back in Katie's cot as Owen lay her down. He kissed her cheek and stood back as Gwen did the same then tucked her in. Owen's arm slipped around Gwen's waist as they watched their daughter drift off.

"I don't know about you but I'm knackered." Owen yawned. "And hungry."

"Aaw, is it time for daddy to be fed and put to bed?" Gwen teased.

"Yeah." He nodded as he stuck out his bottom lip.

Gwen laughed and pulled him in for a kiss.

She cooked them up something to eat then the two lay on the sofa at either end. Owen suddenly sat up and smiled mischievously at Gwen who narrowed her eyes suspiciously. He moved so he lay over her and she giggled.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"You." He whispered and kissed her passionately.

When he pulled away, she raised an eyebrow and ran her tongue across her top lip.

"I see." She said and slipped her arms around his neck. "Thought you were knackered."

"I am." Owen sighed and pulled away. "Come on, time for bed."

"Yep." She nodded.

The couple made their way up to their bedroom, changed and climbed into bed. The night had taken on a slight chill and Gwen started to shiver. Owen pulled the duvet tight around them both before wrapping his arms around her. She slipped her arms through his to snuggle into him as close as possible.

"It'll warm up soon." He told her.

"I hope so." She said through her chattering teeth. Their shared body heat soon warmed them up and Gwen had stopped shivering. While she'd waited to get warm, her mind had wandered to the events of the day before. "Owen...I've been thinking about John."

"Oh charming." He said sarcastically. "It's always good to know your wife's been thinking about another man."

"No, not like that." She replied. "God no. He's good looking but he's a vile man. Anyway, I was just thinking, he was really pissed off after what happened. You don't think he's going to come back and do something terrible, do you?"

"No chance. He's too busy trying to hide and get away as far as possible from whoever owned that gun. He won't come back here." Owen answered.

"But what if he does?" She insisted.

"I really didn't want to tell you this because I knew you'd probably panic but seeing as you're already panicking." He sighed. "Tosh told me today that Jack's asked for high security scans over the area for a while just in case John or his mate turn up. That way, we can be ready for anything. That doesn't mean we're expecting him or anyone to turn up, it's just a precaution."

"There's still a probability though. What if he comes back with something worse than that gun or his mate? How can you be ready for something like that? You weren't ready for what happened yesterday." She argued. "I mean, no offence or anything. I'm sure normally you are all pretty efficient at handling and resolving dangerous situations."

"We are and I can promise you that after what happened, we'll all be ready for anything John or anyone else will throw at us. _I'll_ make sure of that, never mind Jack." He promised. "I swear that I will stop at nothing to keep you and Katie safe and I swear that nothing like that will happen again."

"And who's going to protect you?" Gwen asked.

"We all look out for each other." He reassured her. "And don't worry, if...if anything should happen to me – and I'm not saying it will – but if it should, there'll always be someone to look after you and Katie."

"What? No." Gwen protested angrily as she pulled away from him and leant up on her elbow. "I don't want someone else looking after us, I want you. Do you honestly think I could let someone else take your place if anything happened? I couldn't live without you, I'd be a shell and how do you think that's going to affect Katie? You can't leave us. Ever. So don't you dare do anything stupid and reckless and get yourself killed. Do you hear me, Owen Harper?"

"Alright, I swear." Owen laughed. "Come here." He pulled her back down into a tight hug against his chest. She clung to him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I swear I'll try my hardest to stay alive for you and our daughter. I just...I wanted you to know that you wouldn't be alone. You wouldn't have to worry about trying to cope on your own with Katie and the house and work because there'll always be someone there you can rely on."

"I told you, I don't want anyone else, I want you." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"I know." He replied. "I'm talking worst case scenario but I swear I'll try not to let it get to that. So just...throw those thoughts away and let's not think about that. Let us just enjoy here and now." He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face to look at him. "Ok?" Gwen nodded and gave him a small smile. "Good. Now I think it's time to go to sleep. I love you."

"Love you too." She smiled.

She leant up slightly to give him a slow, tender kiss before snuggling back down. His hold on her tightened and he nuzzled into her hair, breathing deeply to inhale her scent.

Owen dropped off first and when she was sure he was deeply asleep, she slipped out of his arms to sit up and watch him. She held her breath as Owen shuffled closer, sensing her body heat disappearing from his side, but luckily he didn't wake up. He looked so peaceful and calm, all his worries and troubles forgotten for the night.

Gwen wished it was that easy for her. She knew he said that everyone at Torchwood would look after each other and she knew that was true, but she couldn't stop the thoughts that ran through her mind. What if one day, they were up against something they couldn't defeat? She gazed down at her husband wondering if one day, she'd kiss him goodbye as he left for work and that would be the last time she ever did. What if one day he didn't come home? It could happen any time – next month, next week or even tomorrow. That kiss goodbye could be the kiss goodbye forever.

She scolded herself for thinking such morbid thoughts and she started to think about all the good times they'd had together and all the ones to come. She gently ran her hand through his hair and smiled as he moved until his head was in her lap. His arms slipped around her waist as he sighed in contentment.

After a while, she felt her eyelids drooping and she wondered how she was going to lie back down without disturbing Owen. She tried to remove his arms from around her but his grip tightened and he mumbled in his sleep. Gwen sighed and gently shook his shoulder.

"Honey, could you just let go for one second so I can lie down?" She whispered. Owen lifted his head sleepily, his eyes still closed, and pulled her down to lie beside him. "Thank you. Night darling."

She caught his lips in a loving kiss before closing her eyes and joining him in a deep sleep.

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Love you all! Just one more idea...


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